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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22755127">The Star of the Universe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/celedan/pseuds/celedan'>celedan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Sex, First Time, Heartache, Loss, M/M, Oral Sex, Rimming, Series 03 Fix-It: Children of Earth (Torchwood), Time Travel, Torchwood One, Virgin Ianto Jones, Young Ianto Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:02:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,729</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22755127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/celedan/pseuds/celedan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>By chance, young Torchwood One employee Ianto Jones saves popstar Serenity Carter from aliens, and has to flee with her from their assailants. At the same time, the Doctor drags Jack Harkness back to Earth for an impromptu adventure. Running into each other, the two parties have to flee together and solve their problem while Jack's heart aches to see Ianto again after all this time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>132</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Star of the Universe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Long, silver-painted nails tapped impatiently on the armrest of the expensive armchair she was lounging in. Bright, green eyes surveyed the luxurious room, then fell on the bodyguards before her. Her nose crinkled, and flashing white teeth were bared.</p><p>“Bring her before me,” she sneered. “I want to see for myself.”</p><p>The men nodded curtly.</p><p> </p><p>Balancing a bag with coffee beans in one arm, Ianto Jones expertly weaselled his way through a throng of mid-morning shoppers. He wasn't in a hurry to get back to the office since he didn't need to fear his boss' wrath. Yvonne was in a good mood these days, all excited as she was about a new amazing find after a time explosion at Royal Hope Hospital, which of course made Ianto's life as her PA easier. And she would be in an even better mood when she would get her coffee. With all the hectic lately, Ianto had run out, and so, he had to make a quick dash to his favourite coffee dealer for new beans.</p><p>And apropos... Tightening his grip around the bag in his one arm, he fished for his mobile with the other. His suits should be ready by now so that he could pick them up from the dry-cleaners, and...</p><p>“Oi!” he shouted, completely startled, as all of a sudden, a woman marched around the corner, bumping right into him. She simply breezed past him though without even taking any notice of him – probably hard with those ridiculously big sunglasses she wore. A huge, suited man was at her side who – also wearing sunglasses – scowled threateningly at Ianto to keep his distance.</p><p>Who could only stand in the middle of the pavement and stare after them, dumbfounded.</p><p>“Apology accepted!” he called after them, a hot spike of indignation sizzling through him. Oh, how he hated rude people. She probably thought that she was better than him the way she was sashaying down the pavement as if she owned it.</p><p>Huffing, Ianto turned around again, glad that he'd neither dropped his precious coffee beans nor his mobile, and proceeded to round the exact corner the woman had come from.</p><p>He hadn't even covered five metres when a blood-curdling scream made him freeze once more, this time in alarm.</p><p>Indecisive for only a moment, Ianto spun on his heel, and raced in the direction the scream had come from.</p><p>He didn't have to search long; another scream echoed from a side alley he'd passed right before he'd collided with the woman. Swearing since he hadn't any weapons on him, he dashed into the alleyway. And almost stumbled over the prone figure of the suited man that had accompanied the woman – a bodyguard probably, when he came to think about it now –, but he had no time to check if he was still alive. Coming to a slithering stop, he took in the sight before him. The woman – why her again of all people?! – was pressed against a dumpster at the back of the alley, her whole body screaming panic even if Ianto couldn't see her undoubtedly fearfully wide eyes behind the sunglasses she still wore. In front of her, two menacing, huge figures loomed, even bigger than her bodyguard had been. And... Ianto cocked his head. Yep. Not human.</p><p>Great.</p><p>He contemplated calling in a field team, but the woman as well as himself would be dead or worse before the call would go through.</p><p><em>Think, Jones!</em> he thought frantically. <em>Where's your quick thinking you always pride yourself with now?!</em></p><p>Gulping in a deep breath to calm himself and gather his thoughts, Ianto looked around frantically. Inwardly, he was amazed that he hadn't been spotted yet; he hadn't been overly quiet (which could be explained away by the woman's screams and whimpers covering up any other noise), and surely, she must have seen him emerging behind her attackers by now. Maybe she had more common sense than he'd attributed her with, keeping quiet so as not to alert her assailants to her supposed saviour. And the aliens thankfully seemed to be too focussed on her to pay much attention to their surroundings now that her bodyguard was taken out...</p><p>Suddenly, a thought occurred to Ianto, and he dashed back to the fallen bodyguard. He fumbled for the tazer he had seen in passing peeking from a holster in the man's belt while still clutching the bag of coffee beans in his other arm like a lifeline – dropping it was out of the question and didn't even cross his mind.</p><p>Straightening again, he held the tazer in his hand with a sense of victory. He'd never operated such a thing, but it couldn't be any more complicated than some of the alien weapons he had been forced to use during his weapons training. Breathing in deep, he aimed the tazer at the right assailant's back, and pulled the trigger.</p><p>The little wired spike shot from the weapon, and lodged itself in the alien's back. In the same second, the being's whole body started to convulse.</p><p>“Huh,” he made, and stared at the tazer in his hand for a split-second. “Handy.” Maybe he should choose something like this as his weapon of choice from now on...</p><p>But he didn't have any time to ponder that any further because in the split-second it had taken to tazer the one attacker, the other had noticed him. For the first time, he could see the alien's face clearly; brown, hairless, leathery skin that could pass for human if you didn't come too close. But the bone-structure was off; the eyebrow-ridges too high and prominent, the space between chin and mouth too small, and the eyes were of an unnatural pale brown. Anyway, alien or not, the guy advanced on Ianto quickly, his lips pulled back in a sneer to reveal menacingly sharp teeth.</p><p>Without having to think twice about it, Ianto dropped the tazer, grabbed the small bag of coffee beans with both hands, and swung it, hitting the second man right in the face as soon as he'd come close enough.</p><p>With a surprised grunt, the man – no, being – went down, and stayed there for a few seconds, slightly befuddled.</p><p>For a moment, eerie silence echoed through the alleyway, all present frozen in a stunned, violent tableaux vivant.</p><p>Ianto snapped out of his trance when one of the aliens stirred. Dropping the bag with a mournful whimper, he jumped over the tazered alien so he could reach the terrified woman. Meeting her eyes behind the sunglasses, Ianto grasped her trembling hand.</p><p>“Run!” he urged, and started to do just that, dragging the woman after him out of the alleyway. She stumbled after him as best as she could, more than once almost crashing to the ground in her high-heeled boots that weren't really made for running. Women and their bloody high heels!</p><p>Back on the main street, Ianto stopped for a second to look around. Where the hell should they go?!</p><p>Realising that it didn't really matter at the moment, that the only important thing was to <em>get away</em>, he grasped her hand tighter, and started running again.</p><p>They raced down the street, around corners, dodging other pedestrians, and hoping their pursuing attackers lost trace of them in the throng of people... if only her bloody shoes wouldn't make such noise on the concrete. They could be heard through half of London!</p><p>A spike of relief shot through Ianto when he suddenly recognised a big department store he knew had another entrance on the back of the building. Changing directions, he pulled the woman into the store. At a steady pace, they hurried through the fashion department, hoping that they'd lost their assailants.</p><p>For a moment, he felt chagrin. He shouldn't have brought her in here, endangering all the people inside the building. But they didn't have another choice. Their only chance was hiding in the crowd. He could only hope that their pursuers were so focussed on finding them that they didn't care about harming any other humans...</p><p>Soon, the two reached the other entrance, and burst through the glass doors.</p><p>Desperately, Ianto looked around again, but one escape route was as good as the other, he surmised. Determined, he dragged the woman along with him.</p><p> </p><p>Their way led them every which way through the streets of London, trying to disappear in the crowds, but also shortcutting through dank side alleys.</p><p>Eventually, Ianto interrupted their frantic escape by hiding in a narrow alley. It was rather gloomy in here, and the unpleasant smell of trash permeated the air, but at least the alley wasn't a dead end so that, should their assailants still be on their trace, they would have a means to escape.</p><p>But for now, it looked like they had shaken them off.</p><p>Both of them breathed heavily for a moment, and the woman shakily slumped down into a crouch. The way she clung to her ankle and her scrunched up face made her look like she wanted to fling her boots from her feet; they must be hurting after all the running around, but Ianto couldn't really muster up much compassion right now.</p><p>While he tried to recover his breath, he looked down at her, studying her for the first time. The sunglasses were still on, but she had lost the stylish hat she'd worn somewhere along the way. Irritated, she pulled the heavy wool shawl she wore away from her, baring the coffee-coloured, sweat-glistening skin of her neck to the cool air.</p><p>“I know you,” he said slowly, cocking his head as he contemplated her.</p><p>Freezing as if caught out, she looked up at him. “Can't be,” she said dismissively while still trying to gulp in huge lungsful of breath.</p><p>“I do,” he insisted.</p><p>Frowning, Ianto squatted down in front of her, so he could take a better look. Then, his newly recovered breath caught. “Oh shit... You're... You're Serenity Carter!”</p><p>“I'm surely not,” she snapped back, but wouldn't meet his eyes. Stubbornly, she pouted, but eventually, she sighed, and took off her sunglasses. “Yeah, okay, I am,” she admitted.</p><p>Involuntarily, Ianto whistled. What was the chance that <em>he</em> got to save the biggest popstar on this planet from aliens?!</p><p>Apropos...</p><p>“What are you doing here, all on your own?”</p><p>She shrugged. “I wanted to go out for a bit without any fans chasing me. It worked quite well, until... until...”</p><p>Unexpectedly, she burst out into tears that, Ianto guessed, were more crocodile's tears than everything else though since her sobbing was way too theatralic.</p><p>“Hey,” he tried to soothe her nonetheless. “It's okay.”</p><p>“It's not okay!” she hissed, and glared up at him, her tears dried up already. “How can you say that! Did you see those guys?! They were huge! And I don't even know what they wanted from me. They only said something about coming with them, and, and...”</p><p>“And your bodyguard may be dead,” Ianto added, cocking a reproachful eyebrow.</p><p>A blush formed on her cheeks, and she averted her eyes in slight shame. “Yeah, that too.”</p><p>Sighing, she dabbed at her eyes. “I don't understand what's happening here.”</p><p>“We'll get through this,” Ianto promised, and for the first time, she really looked up at him, and their eyes met. He noticed how beautiful she was. He'd known that before, of course, but apparently, her beauty didn't only stem from clever make-up artists; even with barely any make-up, she was striking... but... she couldn't hold a candle to Lisa though...</p><p>
  <em>Whoa, were did that thought come from?! Don't think like that, Jones!</em>
</p><p>He averted his eyes since he didn't want to be reminded of Lisa. Despite their two failed dates, he still mourned the missed chance. But, it was probably for the better. She was way out of his league, and what were their chances if she didn't even like Bond?!</p><p>But... she still was more beautiful than Serenity...</p><p>Shaking his head sharply, Ianto forced himself out of his moping to concentrate on the situation they found themselves in.</p><p>He looked at Serenity again. “Listen, I don't think they followed us here, but we have to be careful.” He rose again, and held out his hand to pull her to her feet. “These guys are still out there, and we don't know which means they have to find us.”</p><p>Nodding meekly, she followed him to the entrance of the alleyway where they stopped again. Carefully, Ianto swept his gaze around to look out for their pursuers, and waited a few more moments, listening closely.</p><p>“Why are we still here?” she suddenly hissed behind him. “This place stinks. And I want to sit down somewhere. I need a coffee for my nerves.”</p><p><em>Not from me</em>, Ianto thought in irritation, his mood not really improving when he was reminded of the sad loss of his coffee beans.</p><p>“I have to sweep the area,” he tried to explain calmly. “See if they aren't around here somewhere.”</p><p>Serenity huffed. “Don't you have a weapon to protect me with? Gerald always carried a tazer.”</p><p>“Yes,” he snapped. “Which saved your life. You should give him a raise if he's still alive. But no, I don't happen to carry around any tazers with me.”</p><p><em>Maybe I should</em>, he thought. Especially in London, you never knew – obviously.</p><p>“This is so unprofessional,” she bitched while she nonetheless followed Ianto from the alley. “Do you know how much I pay for my protection? I think I could expect more for that.”</p><p>“Listen,” Ianto hissed, and, stopping abruptly, spun around to her. “I'm not your employee, I just happened to be around to save your ass. And you're welcome, by the way.”</p><p>Without waiting if she would deign to thank him at all, he turned around again to get moving. He thought he heard her grumble a meek “Thank you”, but he chose to ignore that. Instead, he was thinking furiously. Where should he take her? The most logical thing to do of course would be taking her to Torchwood where he could hand her over to someone who was more experienced in these matters. So...</p><p>“Oh my God! Look!”</p><p>Serenity's frantic voice snatched his attention back to her. He followed her outstretched hand, and his face fell. In the distance, he could make out their pursuers again; both of them, even if one, the one he had tazered in all likelihood, was a little wobbly on his feet. Fortunately, they hadn't spotted them yet. Instead they were running around, and looking every which way for them.</p><p>Hastily, Ianto pulled Serenity into the nearest house entrance for cover.</p><p>“They'll find us!” she gasped into his ear, and frantically shook his arm. “We have to find a better hiding place!”</p><p>“Live up to your name, and calm down,” Ianto suddenly snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I need to think.”</p><p>“What?!” she screeched. “You don't have a plan to get us out of here?!”</p><p>He hastily clamped his hand over her mouth to shut her up.</p><p>“Excuse me if I didn't plan for being chased by aliens when I went to work this morning.” Ianto glared at her, and slowly took his hand away at which she slapped irritably. “I'm making this up as I go along. So either, you have to contribute something useful to our situation or you shut up for five minutes.”</p><p>She stared at him open-mouthed, speechless since she probably wasn't used to people talking to her like that, but he couldn't help but snap at her; She simply drove him beyond mad.</p><p>Then, she closed her mouth with a snap, frowning. “Wait,” she said. “What do you mean, aliens?”</p><p>Ianto rolled his eyes before he carefully peeked around the corner to check if the aliens were still there. “You didn't think they were human, did you?”</p><p>Serenity frowned some more, and scrunched up her nose. “Well, I just thought they were unusually ugly.”</p><p>Ianto had to roll his eyes again; it seemed to be an automatic response to everything she said. “No,” he tried to calmly explain since, well, this was so far out of her experience that he didn't blame her for not understanding. “These guys are aliens. As in not from Earth.”</p><p>For a few seconds, she stared at him again, unmoving, but then, she rolled her eyes herself. “Bollocks,” she scoffed very unlady-like. “There's no such thing as aliens.”</p><p>Ianto sighed since he didn't have the nerve or the energy at the moment to discuss this with her. “It's as I say.”</p><p>“Then we should go to the police,” Serenity insisted.</p><p>“Oh yeah? And what do you suggest they are supposed to do?”</p><p>“Who do you want to call instead?” she sneered. “Men in Black?”</p><p>He didn't point out that he actually worked for what passed as Men in Black in reality.</p><p>“I know someone,” he explained curtly, and took out his mobile to call for help.</p><p>After dialling Yvonne's number, listening to the phone connecting, a sudden stubborn thought reared its ugly head. Why should he ask Torchwood for help? He could deal with this situation on his own very well. He had until now, hadn't he? If he was the one to save Serenity Carter from aliens single-handedly, the doubters at Torchwood would finally shut up. Sure, he got along well with most of his colleagues, but he knew there were some, especially within the special ops teams, who only saw him as the pretty boy who toddled after Yvonne to do her every bidding, who had never even wielded a weapon to kill an alien, instead just wielding a PDA and operating the coffee machine. Nobody had ever said anything to him, they didn't dare Yvonne's wrath descending on them, but Ianto knew they viewed him that way. And he knew for a fact that some were a little pissed that he had risen ranks that fast (he had made sure very quickly that he knew everything going on within Torchwood). Additionally, some thought he had slept with Yvonne to get his job.</p><p>Bah! He would show them. He would deal with this situation on his own. No special ops team would have to come to his rescue!</p><p>And if he succeeded, then maybe even Lisa would be impressed, and they could have another chance...</p><p>In that moment, the call connected.</p><p>“Yvonne?”</p><p>“Ianto, darling,” came Yvonne's amused voice over the phone. “Did you get lost on your way?”</p><p>He snorted at that. “You could say that. Listen. I need to take the vacation you try to manhandle me into taking for ages. As in, right now.”</p><p>There was silence on the other end of the line. He could practically hear her frown.</p><p>“Are you all right, Ianto?”</p><p>Oh great, now she was suspicious, but that probably wasn't so surprising.</p><p>“Yes,” he ground out through clenched teeth. On the inside, a little nagging voice that sounded suspiciously like his sister screamed bloody murder at him, brushing aside all his stubborn, mutinous thoughts from a minute ago. Why the hell wouldn't he admit to the situation he had managed to get himself into? It would be the mature thing to do. Torchwood could help, could protect the woman, and could probably even sort out the situation with the aliens.</p><p><em>Yeah</em>, he thought sarcastically. <em>With guns blazing.</em></p><p>After all, Torchwood wasn't really famous for their diplomatic approach, and Yvonne even less (no matter what she claimed, having reformed Torchwood for the better: She could be one heartless bitch if she wanted to be). The last thing Ianto wanted was an interstellar incident because of a misunderstanding.</p><p>No. He would sort out this mess his way. He didn't need Yvonne bloody Hartman to hold his hand. Basically, he thought he couldn't make the situation any worse than when Torchwood decided to simply slaughter the aliens.</p><p>His determination reinforced, he gritted his teeth. “Yvonne, please trust me, okay?”</p><p>There was silence for a moment on the other end of the line, and a sudden thought occurred to Ianto. If he failed, and the aliens didn't kill him, Yvonne would have his head for mucking it up.</p><p>The silence grew suspicious, and Ianto wouldn't have been surprised if she was busily pointing the next available satellite at his position to see for herself what he was up to. Surely, in the next second, she would tell him to get his ass back to the office, and let the experts handle the situation.</p><p>But, much to his shocked surprise, she only said, “I trust you, Ianto. Do what you have to do. But don't hesitate to ask for help.”</p><p>“Thank you,” he said firmly, still surprised by her answer.</p><p>“Take care,” Yvonne said, and then, she simply hung up.</p><p>For a moment, Ianto stared at his mobile a little dumbfounded before he turned back to Serenity again.</p><p>“I'll help you,” he stated, tucking away his mobile, and he looked her firmly in the eye.</p><p>“You? What do you wanna do?” she sneered suspiciously. “Who are you? And didn't you want to call for help? What was that call all about?”</p><p>“My name's Ianto Jones, and I'm with Torchwood. Before you ask, Torchwood is a secret organisation that protects Earth from aliens.”</p><p>“So... You <em>are</em> Men in Black,” Serenity clarified, sounding quite satisfied with herself.</p><p>Ianto cringed at the comparison with a bunch of fictional American alien-hunters that, in his opinion, were completely uncoordinated, and cowboy-like. At least they had nice suits... Well. Not as nice as his of course.</p><p>And their neuralyzer was way cooler than that Retcon stuff Torchwood Three used...</p><p>Anyway...</p><p>“For the sake of peace, yes, I am with Men in Black,” he agreed.</p><p>The singer pursed her lips suspiciously, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.</p><p>“Then why didn't you call the other Men in Black?” She started tapping her foot which couldn't hurt that badly any more if she could do that. “Why did you tell, whoever you called, that you need a holiday? There's no one coming, am I right?”</p><p>By now she had talked herself into a rage, and Ianto quickly tried to explain before she started screeching again and thus alerting their pursuers to their hiding place.</p><p>“No. But don't worry. I'll sort this out. I'll protect you.”</p><p>Serenity's eyes narrowed more and more as she glared daggers at Ianto. “What are you, James Bond?! Is it against your honour to ask for help or what?!”</p><p>“It will be fine, okay,” he argued a little testily. “I was trained for situations like these. It could be worse.”</p><p>“What kind of alien-hunter are you?! Aren't there any rules you have to follow in a situation like this?” Serenity actually stamped her foot. “This is so unprofessional!” she insisted again. “Typical man! Irresponsible and childish.”</p><p>Ianto bit his lip. If he looked at it now, he suddenly had to agree with her. If any of his colleagues would have pulled this solo action just because he wanted to proof something, he would have told them in no certain terms what a disappointment they were for Torchwood.</p><p>So, what was the matter with him?! Just because he wanted to impress Lisa? To actually proof something to himself as well as his colleagues that he was more than a PA? Being infatuated with her must have fried some, or rather, a lot of brain cells as well as his common sense. That, and he was surely on caffeine withdrawal. That was the only explanation he could come up with for his reckless, uncharacteristic behaviour.</p><p>He had to think of Serenity's safety first, not his own pride and vanity.</p><p>He just wanted to swallow said pride and call Yvonne back when the young woman's whimper drew his attention back to the aliens.</p><p>They were coming nearer.</p><p>Any minute now, they would be spotted. Then, Yvonne couldn't help him any more anyway.</p><p>With his heart in his mouth, Ianto intently watched the aliens.</p><p>When they suddenly turned their backs on them, Ianto grasped Serenity's hand tightly in his.</p><p>“Run,” he hissed once more, and pulled her with him.</p><p>“Where are we going?” she panted, and did her best to keep up.</p><p>“I'm sorry,” Ianto replied, throwing quick looks over his shoulder every few metres to see if they were being followed. “You were completely right. My behaviour was unprofessional and childish. I'll call for help as soon as we have a minute to breath.”</p><p>“Let's go to my penthouse,” Serenity suggested instead of commenting on his apology. “'M sure they won't look for me at my hotel.”</p><p>“Okay,” Ianto agreed. “It's worth a try. Where are you staying?”</p><p> </p><p>“Detecting three extra-terrestrial life forms inside the suite, Doctor,” Jack mumbled, his gaze fixed onto the readings of his vortex manipulator.</p><p>“Huh,” the Doctor made. “I would have counted on more bodyguards.”</p><p>Jack nodded, but then shrugged. “Good for us.”</p><p>“Yeah.” The painfully youthful face turned around to him and smiled boyishly. Then, the Doctor rose from his crouch just around the hotel corridor's corner, and adjusted his bow tie. “Well then, let's have a chat with the young lady.”</p><p>Rising to his feet as well, Jack followed the gangly form.</p><p>He still had trouble getting used to this form of the Doctor. He was cute, but so were puppies toddling around right into trouble. Sometimes, he really didn't know why he had agreed to accompany the Doctor when he'd shown up at Jack's...</p><p>Okay, he did.</p><p>He had become slightly bored with his life on the paradise-like backwater planet at the arse-end of nowhere. A few decades ago, Jack had deemed it best to lay low a bit, have some peace in his life, and he had chosen a nice, peaceful planet randomly to settle down on. He actually owned a farm these days, situated in a picturesque little valley, the earth rich, and dark, and fertile, the grass green, the water of the nearby river crystal clear. He kept some animals, sheep-like creatures as well as cows actually imported from Earth, some dogs to keep him company as well as a capricious goat that somehow reminded him of a young doctor that had worked for him once (and who, in the year they were now in, was still alive, Jack cringed). Even the neighbours were nice, and would still be for a long time since time on that planet moved very, very slow – Jack had needed a few years to figure <em>that</em> out.</p><p>It really was paradise, but it started to bore him.</p><p>Now, heading head-first into possible danger – or at least into trouble – with the Doctor made Jack's blood sing again. He didn't know why the Doctor had shown up at his doorstep, didn't know why the Time Lord wanted his help (“For old times' sake, Jackie-boy!”), and, after Jack had recovered from the shock of being dragged through time and space only to land on Earth of all places, and after he had stopped being pissed off with the Doctor for that, he didn't really care.</p><p>Reaching the door, the Doctor adjusted his bow tie again, and then knocked exuberantly.</p><p>Shuffling could be heard from the inside, and a gruff voice asked what they wanted through the door.</p><p>“Room service,” the Doctor chirped.</p><p>“We haven't ordered anything,” came the heavily accented reply.</p><p>The Doctor exchanged a look with Jack.</p><p>“What a pity. Then you will miss our special of the day: Serusian snails in garlic sauce.”</p><p>The two time travellers grinned as they waited for the penny to drop with the inhabitants inside, and indeed, in the next second, the door flew open, and gruff hands dragged them inside. They were shoved into the living room area, where they were greeted suspiciously by a stunning, blue-skinned woman as well as several laser guns that were trained on them.</p><p>“Ah!” The Doctor clapped his hands. “Alannah Tempest, The Biggest Star of the Universe. What a pleasure to meet you! And here of all places...”</p><p>The woman sneered haughtily at them. “Who are you? How did you find me?”</p><p>“Well, that's complicated, but let's just say concerned parties send me here. A little birdy twittered that you are here for a little detour.” The Doctor's eyes suddenly narrowed in on the woman, all boyish joviality gone in an instant. “To do what, I wonder.”</p><p>Miss Tempest sniffed. “Like you said, I am the biggest popstar of the universe. There is no one else like me.”</p><p>“Oh, I'm sure that's true.”</p><p>“But then,” her eyes flashed dangerously, “I got notice that a singer here on this backwater planet claims that title for herself.” Her sinuous figure rose in a sensual-menacing way, and she advanced on the two men dangerously slow, almost like a wild cat on the prowl. “That title is mine!” she suddenly shouted. “<em>I</em> am The Biggest Star of the Universe!”</p><p>“That's it?” Jack scoffed incredulously, and joined in on the conversation. “Just because your vanity and pride are hurt you come here?! Listen, lady, this singer, or the rest of humanity, doesn't even know you exist! It's just a saying, the press's just hyping her.”</p><p>“This planet is off limits,” the Doctor reminded her, nodding sternly. “No official first contact yet. You break a whole bunch of regulations of the Shadow Proclamation.”</p><p>Alannah sniffed again, and threw her voluptuous black hair back over her shoulder. “As if I care. I want that lowly, worthless little girl brought before me to stake my claim on <em>my</em> title.”</p><p>“What have you done?” the Doctor breathed, suddenly alarmed and suspicious, his wide eyes flickering through the room as if he would find the answers spelled on the walls.</p><p>“What do you think, I send my men out to find her.” Calmed down again somewhat, Alannah sat back down in the white designer armchair. “They should be back any minute now with her, she was spotted not far from this building a while ago before you two idiots barged in here. These are her rooms, by the way. I thought she would come back here sooner or later, you see.”</p><p>“Call your men off,” the Doctor seethed.</p><p>Her beautiful face twisted into a sneer. “No.”</p><p>“You really don't want to cross me, Miss Tempest,” the Doctor said calmly, but with a hard glint in his eyes. Jack shivered at the menacing tone in the otherwise light, carefree voice, but the popstar didn't seem impressed since she didn't know whom she was facing here nor did she care that her selfish, vain actions could very well cause an intergalactic incident.</p><p>“Oh yeah?” she mocked. “Who are you that you want to tell <em>me</em> what to do?”</p><p>The gangly form drew itself up to full height, and the Doctor glared down at the bored figure reclining in her seat. “I am the Doctor,” he said.</p><p>Obviously, the name told her nothing because once again, she seemed hardly impressed. “Doctor who?” she drawled, and cocked a bored eyebrow.</p><p>“Not a doctor that will be very benevolent to you if you don't listen to him, I can tell you that,” Jack answered her grimly, but that didn't impress her either.</p><p>“I'm bored with you two clowns,” Alannah sniffed, and turned up her head to the bodyguard who was standing beside her chair, lazily waving her hand to encompass the two men. “Dispose of them. I don't care how. And then see that you bring that girl before me.”</p><p>The two huge bodyguards advanced on them, and instinctively, Jack's hand reached to his belt... to encounter nothing since the Doctor had filched his gun. He cursed softly under his breath.</p><p>“Heads up, Captain,” the Doctor said, and winked at him. “Have you learned nothing from me?”</p><p>And with that, the Time Lord whipped out his sonic, and pointed it at the huge, intricately wrought designer lamp that hung right above Alannah. Accompanied by the whirring sound of the screwdriver working its magic, the couple of bulbs in the lamp started glowing brighter and brighter by the second until they finally exploded in a blinding flash of light and a shower of sparks that rained down on the popstar.</p><p>She screamed in pain, and covered her eyes with her hands. Her bodyguards did likewise, and for a moment, all three aliens were blinded by the light.</p><p>Jack met the Doctor's gaze who spun the screwdriver in his hand like a circus trick to show off, a smug grin on his youthful face.</p><p>“Her species as well as that of her bodyguards is very sensible to light.”</p><p>For a split second, Jack mused that she had chosen the wrong job if that was the case, and if in that case, she went on stage with sunglasses, but in the next second, there wasn't any time for such thinking.</p><p>“Run, Jack!” The Doctor's voice shouted over the pained whimpers of the three aliens.</p><p>When they made a mad dash for the door, Jack felt an old, familiar exhilaration run through his whole body.</p><p>
  
</p><p>The pounding of feet was the only thing that alerted the two people just leaving the lift and starting for Serenity's suite.</p><p>Stopping wide-eyed like deer caught in the headlights, they waited to see what the commotion was all about for a split-second before Ianto spun around to call the lift back.</p><p>In the next moment, two men slithered around the corner, just barely managing to avoid slamming into the two.</p><p> </p><p>Cursing, the Doctor made a split-decision when he encountered the two wide-eyed humans staring in wonder and fear at the two men running for their life in a hotel corridor: Alannah's men were right on their heels, and he couldn't say what would happen to the two innocent humans when they got into the furious alien-bodyguards' way.</p><p>“Go, go, go!” the Doctor shouted therefore, and dragged the young woman with him while he left Jack with the task to take care of the man. Quickly and without slowing down once, the Captain snatched the man's wrist to pull him along as well.</p><p>A half-hearted protest died on the man's lips together with the instinctive reaction to stem his bodyweight against Jack's pull when he suddenly noticed their pursuers behind them.</p><p>The four of them crashed through the door of the staircase.</p><p>“Seriously!?” the young man gasped when he saw flights and flights of stairs leading down gaping in front of them. “We just came up all the way.” He glared at his companion while stumbling down the steps. “You had to have the penthouse, didn't you?”</p><p>“Of course,” she huffed snobbishly, the air of haughtiness she was sporting losing its force since she barely managed to draw enough air into her lungs, and was in danger of breaking her legs because of the high-heeled boots she wore.</p><p>Further conversation had to be postponed thanks to lack of air for shouting.</p><p>Eventually, the quartet burst through the fire doors downstairs, right into the lobby.</p><p>“Quick. Outside!” The Doctor urged, and, under the suspicious, scandalised eyes of the rich patrons and hotel staff, they barged through the glass doors, passing a gob-smacked looking concierge.</p><p>Coming to a slithering halt, the Doctor looked around frantically, trying to orientate himself where he had left the TARDIS, when suddenly, a shrill whistle turned his attention to one of their new acquaintances.</p><p>“Get in here!” the young man shouted, and held open the door to a cab he had managed to acquire quick-wittedly.</p><p>Breaking out in a bright grin, the Doctor ushered the rest of the group into the taxi.</p><p>Not a second too early; just when the cab started moving away from the hotel, he could make out their pursuers, looking around for them before they spotted them in the taxi. Swearing, they gave chase, but were too slow for the car, and soon, the cab was lost to them in the busy London noon traffic.</p><p>Giggling exuberantly while trying to get his breath back, the Doctor turned back to his other companions, relaxing a bit in the backseat bench since they were safe for the moment.</p><p>“Whew,” he wheezed. “What a way to start the day.” He met the humans' wide eyes. “I'm really sorry for that, but you see, we couldn't leave you there. These guys would have trampled over you without a second thought.”</p><p>A whine got stuck in the woman's throat, and she eyed the man in her company helplessly. “But...” she stammered, then clearly started to think a few things over, and glared at the dark-haired man next to her. “You!” she burst out, and drew back her arm to smack him in the upper arm. “You said we would be safe in my suite, but they were already waiting there for us!”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” the man defended himself snappishly. “How should I have known?!”</p><p>“Wait a minute,” the Doctor raised his voice over their squabbling, looking from one to the other. “Your suite? Oh my! But that means... You're...”</p><p>“Serenity Carter, can't you see that,” she answered haughtily, and descended into an epic pout.</p><p>“I rather wanted to say you're the woman who unknowingly pissed off an intergalactic popstar, but I suppose that amounts to the same outcome.” The Doctor snickered happily. “I love coincidences, although that probably wasn't a coincidence at all. The universe is seldom so lazy; now who said that again, well, can't remember, but very wise thinking. Anyway, this is great. Spares us a lot of time.”</p><p>Serenity Carter blinked at him for a moment, unable to form any words for close to a minute. “I did what to whom?!” she eventually screeched, breathing heavily in shock.</p><p>But for now, the Doctor simply ignored her outburst, deciding to give her some time to vent her anger and calm down. Instead, he turned to the young man that had shown so much quick-thinking.</p><p>“And you are?” the Doctor beamed at the young man that had been in Miss Carter's company.</p><p>“Ehm, Ianto Jones,” he mumbled, his wide blue eyes flickering from one man to the other still a little suspiciously.</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Ianto Jones!” the Doctor grinned, and snatched up Ianto's hand to shake it exuberantly. “I once knew a...”</p><p>He stopped short when suddenly, a sharp elbow connected with his ribs. Looking to the side in confusion, he only now saw Jack's ghostly pallor for the first time, and that he couldn't stop staring at the young man on the seat across from them like a man dying of thirst that had found water in the desert.</p><p>The Time Lord took a good look at the boy again as well. He was painfully young, even the sophisticated suit he wore didn't change that, and he was clearly out of his depth in the current situation, but he tried his best to look composed and as if he had everything under control. Somehow, the Doctor thought he knew that determined expression...</p><p>Oh.</p><p>“Jack, I'm...” he cringed, but hastily shut his mouth when Jack threw him a filthy look.</p><p>Nodding, the Doctor pressed his lips together, and once more scrutinised Ianto Jones.</p><p>He really hadn't recognised him. After all, he'd only seen him the once, and that only on a monitor while being in a crisis. And it's been so long, too, and, well, he never really bothered enough to meet Jack's friends when he often enough had a hard time already to meet up with his old friend in the first place, guilt-ridden as the Doctor still sometimes was about, well, everything. And anyway, he was too busy trying his utmost not to lose the people he loved himself. How could he burden himself with the heartbreak of seeing Jack lose his friends...</p><p> </p><p>“What... why are you staring at me like that?” Ianto suddenly asked, gradually feeling insecure under the boring, inquisitive stare of the ridiculously handsome man who hadn't said anything until now as opposed to their other rescuer who did his best to talk his head off. “You look as if you've seen a ghost. Do we know each other?”</p><p>For a moment, Jack sat stock still, staring at Ianto some more, but then, he shook himself out of it with more effort than he would want to admit.</p><p>“No, ghosts aren't real, are they,” he answered, plastering a charming mega-watt smile onto his face that would tell everybody who knew him that it was completely false.</p><p>But the man opposite him didn't know him. At all.</p><p>Ianto frowned, still puzzled about the man's strange reaction. “I suppose.”</p><p>“Who are you anyway?” Serenity demanded to know, breaking the strange mood that had suddenly settled over Ianto and Jack.</p><p>Startling, Jack blinked at her, but before he could give any coherent answer, the Doctor took over again.</p><p>“I'm the Doctor. This is my friend Jack.”</p><p>“The Doctor?!”</p><p>“You know what's going on, right?” Serenity asked, ignoring Ianto's gob-smacked reaction to the man's name. And what a stupid name it was, but not her concern at the moment. “You came from the direction of my penthouse suite.”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” the Doctor admitted a little sheepishly. He exchanged a look with Jack who didn't seem inclined at all to contribute anything to the conversation. Instead, he rather went back to staring at his long lost lover. Sighing, the Time Lord launched into an explanation about Alannah Tempest and her little tantrum – not so different from the woman in front of him if he thought closely about it. The two would get along fabulously if they didn't scratch each other's eyes out first (he didn't understand why, but his comment wasn't so well received by Miss Carter).</p><p>“So let me get this straight,” she eventually summed up a little shakily. “This intergalactic popstar wants to kill me because she is jealous!?”</p><p>The Doctor shrugged. “Basically, yes.”</p><p>“Stupid cow!” Serenity hissed, and balled her fists so tightly she could hear her nail extensions creaking in protest.</p><p>“Well, that's what we're here for,” the Doctor tried to reassure her. “We're...”</p><p>“We're there.”</p><p>Ianto's voice cut off the Doctor's next words, and the Time Lord blinked in confusion at being interrupted. “Where's here?”</p><p>“We can hide in my flat for a while,” Ianto explained, and exited the cab, starting to pay the driver since he would probably be the only one who had any money with him. He imagined a super star like Serenity Carter was above such things as carrying money with her, and, to be truthful, he didn't expect any more either of a man travelling through time and space that was showing so little common sense or was so disorganised. Ianto wasn't sure yet about the Doctor's mysterious companion who couldn't stop staring at him even if the man did his utmost best to hide it.</p><p>As soon as he was back at the office, he would do some research on the man. He recalled that they had quite a list about Torchwood Enemy Number One's companions.</p><p>After having paid, he led his unexpected guests up into his flat, very glad that he, as soon as he had gotten his first, quite considerable pay check from Torchwood, had looked for a nicer flat without any flatmates be they human or rodent. He wasn't sure how he would have explained having a popstar, a quirky alien and a Playgirl model in the flat.</p><p> </p><p>Shakily, Jack was the last to climb from the cab, and blindly, almost as if led by an invisible line, followed the others, followed Ianto, into the modest multiple-storey building.</p><p>“Jack.”</p><p>He startled when the Doctor suddenly stopped before they both entered the house. The Time Lord looked firmly at Jack, pleadingly.</p><p>“He's not your Ianto,” he said softly. “He doesn't know you at all.”</p><p>Jack felt his carefully bland expression shatter somewhat when the Doctor drove the bitter truth home. He nodded curtly to show he understood, and with it, the Doctor probably supposed, a promise that he wouldn't do anything stupid.</p><p>No, he wouldn't. He knew well enough not to mess with timelines, no matter what the Doctor may think of him. But he was allowed to look. Even the Doctor couldn't find any fault in that. And maybe, the sight of Ianto, alive and well, would sustain him for a long time. He already felt better, lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and the sharp shards that were his cracked heart didn't hurt so much right now.</p><p>It had been centuries, really, since Ianto Jones died in his arms, in this city, not overly far from where Jack now stood, but it still hurt.</p><p>There had been others since Ianto. People he had liked, and even people he had loved; he couldn't help himself, he'd never been good with being alone. Even if, in the end, he always ended up alone, Jack Harkness still needed company much like the Doctor, needed the warm and loving touch of another being... not so much like the Doctor.</p><p>Anyway. Yes, there had been people he had loved, but then there had been Ianto Jones. Jack had not simply loved him, even if he regretted to this day that he had neglected to tell his young lover, had cheated him of a declaration and assurance he had justly deserved but had only gotten snide remarks from Jack instead. No. He had <em>loved</em> Ianto. Loved him with a passion and a depth and a devotion he had seldom loved with, if ever. But, and that was the tragedy about their dysfunctional, ill-fated relationship, he supposed, Jack had only realised all that when it had been too late. Instead of using the precious time they had, he had held back because he was a coward, and when he realised that Ianto was, well, the One for him, the young man's cold corpse rested at his feet. You didn't recover from heartbreak like that so easily, and he hadn't.</p><p>But today, seeing Ianto Jones here, now, alive, and so young like he'd never known him, made his soul soar with unimaginable joy while at the same time, it broke his heart all over again.</p><p>The metallic clanking of a key on a ring of key being turned in a lock abruptly pulled Jack from his musings, and he realised that he stood in front of what must be Ianto's flat door, his feet having carried him up here on their own.</p><p>Taking in a deep breath, he entered after the others, shutting the door behind.</p><p>Curiously, he looked around. The flat was small, but, typically Ianto, meticulously clean. Some of the furniture wasn't really Ianto's style, so they'd probably come with the flat. He didn't see any personal belongings that told people anything about the inhabitant of this flat, but that didn't surprise Jack. Even back in Cardiff, when the two of them were well into their... relationship, Ianto's flat had still been devoid of many personal items apart from a rather extensive DVD collection.</p><p>He once more took in a deep breath, and immediately was assaulted by faint traces of the man's familiar scent. It was weak, Ianto probably didn't live here long enough for the scent to have settled, but it was there nonetheless. Greedily, Jack breathed it in, remembering. Back in the cab, there had been too many other scents overlaying it, but now...</p><p>“Anyone some coffee?” Ianto's voice brought him back into the here and now.</p><p>“I'd love to,” he shakily called back while a “I'd rather have some tea if you don't mind, thanks” could be heard from the Doctor, and a relieved “yes!” to coffee from Serenity.</p><p>“You'll miss something,” he murmured into the Doctor's ear, but the Time Lord just shrugged.</p><p>Only when the beverages had been served, and the small group had assembled in Ianto's living room did they start to make plans regarding their dire situation.</p><p>“We should call Torchwood,” Ianto stated firmly, and looked a little guilty. “I should have done so hours ago already.” </p><p>“No way,” the Doctor retorted hastily. “You know very well that Torchwood London and I don't get along so well, and it would disrupt the timelines.”</p><p>Jack had to agree with the Doctor on that, but didn't comment himself since he was much too busy experiencing the long lost near orgasmic experience of Ianto's coffee.</p><p>Ianto frowned at that last comment. “What do you mean?”</p><p>The Doctor and Jack exchanged a meaningful look. Finally, the Doctor shrugged, and gave a “Timey Wimey” as an explanation.</p><p>Ianto huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I've never heard something more ridiculous. What's that supposed to mean? It's not even a real word.”</p><p>“It is,” the Doctor pouted, and Jack hastily put down his cup to defuse the situation since he'd learned that this regeneration of the Doctor could throw some epic tantrums. That was the last thing they could use right now.</p><p>“It means,” Jack tried to explain to the young man glaring at the Time Lord, holding up his hands in a placating gesture towards the Doctor, “that the Doctor will have dealings with Torchwood in your near future... very important dealings. Therefore, it's impossible that they meet him now since they don't know him yet. It could change everything.”</p><p>Ianto frowned as he digested the information for a moment, but finally nodded his understanding. “Okay, what else can we do? I don't think this woman will abort her crucible since she feels actually wronged here.”</p><p>“You're right, she won't,” the Doctor agreed, having calmed down a bit from Ianto's slight against him.</p><p>“So? I don't know how they found Serenity this morning, but we can't be sure that they won't be able to do so again with whatever means they have at their disposal. We're not safe here, so we have to come up with a plan quickly.”</p><p>That seemed to make sense to the Doctor as well as Jack, but since neither time traveller knew how Alannah had traced Serenity down, they agreed that they probably weren't safe here for very long.</p><p>“Do you have any weapons?” Jack asked in answer to Ianto's demand.</p><p>“No,” the young man immediately snapped back sarcastically. “I don't have weapons lying around my flat.”</p><p>Questioningly, Jack cocked his head. “Have you ever even used a gun?”</p><p>“Don't encourage him, Jack,” the Doctor hissed, but Jack waved him away like a noisy fly.</p><p>Ianto bristled at that, and his face turned slightly red in indignation. “I've had very extensive weapons training, thank you very much.”</p><p>Jack had to grin at that lasciviously. “You don't have proper weapons training if you didn't have it with me.”</p><p>To Jack's pleasant amazement, Ianto even turned a shade darker. Oh, he loved riling up this version of his lover. He was still so young, so innocent with his wide eyes and the blush covering his cheeks, so impressible and unformed, all of which he couldn't manage to hide behind his poker face that still needed a little work. It was delicious. Now that Jack had found his footing again after the shock, and had accepted that Ianto was here, he would have so much fun flirting with him!</p><p>“I can imagine what that looks like,” the young man grumbled, earning himself a carefree, booming laugh from the older man. “And anyway,” he continued defensively, pouncing on Jack. “Where's <em>your</em> weapon?!”</p><p>The Captain pouted. “The Doctor confiscated my gun. He hates guns. And too much violence.”</p><p>Ianto cocked an incredulous eyebrow, and eyed the Time Lord thoughtfully. “You're nothing like I thought you'd be,” he finally admitted. “Why then declared Queen Victoria you Torchwood's Enemy Number One if you aren't dangerous?”</p><p>“Oh, I am dangerous,” the Doctor grumbled.</p><p>“Because she was an arrogant cow, that's why” Jack explained, scrunching up his nose in disdain. “Believe me, I've met her as well, and she's just like your Yvonne Hartman.”</p><p>“Excuse me?!” Ianto turned wide eyes onto Jack.</p><p>“Well, yeah, that whole 'for the glory of the British Empire' rubbish,” Jack scoffed. “Hartman obviously hasn't realised yet that there is no British Empire any more. Delusional, just like Torchwood India.” At the wide-eyed look Jack received at that from the Doctor and Ianto, he waved his hand dismissively. “Long story.”</p><p>Chagrined, Ianto pursed his lips. “She's not so bad!” he heatedly defended his boss out of principle.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jack scoffed, and threw Ianto a patronising smile. “You think that because you don't really know her. How should you. Poor lamb, stuck in your archives the whole day while you have no idea what's happening at the top floor of Torchwood Tower. But believe me, she's a vindictive bitch that will be the downfall of you lot.”</p><p>Jack hastily shut up in his venting when the Doctor jabbed him in the ribs because of that last comment.</p><p>“Excuse me,” Ianto gasped in affront, and proudly drew himself up to his full height. “I'm Yvonne's PA, thank you very much! I think I do know very well what's happening up there.”</p><p>“What?!” Jack stared at him, completely baffled. “You... you are...”</p><p>Suddenly, Jack saw his former lover with completely different eyes. Old hurt surfaced inside him like an old wound that had been torn open again. Once more, it turned out, Ianto Jones had lied to him.</p><p>Suddenly bitter and more hurt than was probably warranted, Jack had to avert his gaze from the young, still innocent man in front of him for a moment.</p><p>But as soon as the feeling had reared its ugly head, it diffused again as quickly like dust in the wind. It wasn't this Ianto's fault. And these old feelings of resentment and betrayal shouldn't diminish the joy he felt at seeing Ianto again. Instead, he couldn't help but be astonished how Ianto had once more managed to fool everybody. That the sneaky, cunning little beast, while still in shock about the battle, having to care for Lisa, and coming up with a plan to smuggle her into Torchwood Three, had even thought about forging his file. But... it made sense, didn't it? Jack would have been even less inclined to talk, let alone listen, to Ianto if it had been Yvonne Hartman's golden boy who had come to him instead of a rather unimportant junior researcher. He'd have probably never completely trusted Ianto after hiring him – if he would have done that at all –, and maybe he never would have found it in himself to trust Ianto again after Lisa, always knowing that he had worked so closely with the woman Jack despised like he did few people.</p><p>No. From a twisted point of view, it was the right thing Ianto had done, and Jack couldn't help but be impressed again about his lover's abilities. It once more drove home the fact how compatible they had been for each other. The cheater and the liar. Oh, what they could have achieved if...</p><p>Trampling down on that thought, never wanting to go there while he had Ianto sitting before him, breathing and alive, Jack's thoughts suddenly jumped into a completely different direction (he spend too much time with the Doctor if his own thoughts started springing about so fast like a squirrel on ecstasy).</p><p>Against his will, a bright grin stole itself onto Jack's face, chasing away the last dark thoughts that had still weighed him down only a moment ago.</p><p>“There's some gossip circulating,” Jack leered at the young man suggestively. “I never cared much for Torchwood One gossip, but now that I know <em>you</em> are Yvonne's PA, tell me, Ianto Jones, is it true that Yvonne screws her PA?”</p><p>Ianto reared back in shock, gaping like a fish out of water for a moment in shock. “No!” he eventually cried, appalled and affronted about the accusation. “Of course not!”</p><p>Laughing at the young man's horror, Jack inwardly sighed in relief. At least he himself wasn't just a bad habit of Ianto's that he had picked up again after joining Torchwood Cardiff; sleeping with the boss.</p><p>“As fascinating as that is,” Serenity suddenly threw in with a surly look on her pretty face, “but that doesn't save me from this alien bitch!”</p><p>Sad as it was, Jack had to agree with her on that.</p><p>“Ah, yes, okay, back to our agenda, kids,” the Doctor exclaimed, clapping his hands.</p><p> </p><p>In the next thirty minutes, the four of them juggled back and forth a couple of ideas about how to deal with Alannah Tempest, but somehow, they got nowhere; most of the ideas Ianto and Jack came up with, the Doctor dismissed as too violent while Serenity wouldn't agree on that since she held the opinion the deader the better.</p><p>“It's no use,” the Doctor finally sighed, and heaved up his gangly form from Ianto's sofa. “I'll have to get the TARDIS first.”</p><p>“Shall I come with you?” Jack asked, but the Doctor shook his head.</p><p>“You stay here to protect miss Carter.”</p><p>“Yeah, with which weapon,” Jack grumbled, rolling his eyes in a very Ianto-like fashion when the Doctor told him to be creative, but he nodded his assent nonetheless.</p><p>“Do you want to come with me, Ianto?” the Doctor instead addressed Ianto.</p><p>The young man blinked at the Time Lord, gob-smacked. But then, he threw a not so furtive glance in Jack's direction, inwardly making the Doctor roll his eyes that even just having met and completely straight, Ianto Jones was obviously still falling for the charm of Jack Harkness.</p><p>“No,” Ianto said carefully. “I'll stay here.”</p><p>Nodding while blowing out an exasperated sigh, the Doctor turned to march to the flat door. “Be back shortly,” he called over his shoulder to which Jack just snorted sarcastically. “Behave.”</p><p>That was met with a double snort and an additionally cocked eyebrow from Ianto.</p><p> </p><p>“I need a shower,” Serenity declared eventually into the more or less comfortable silence that had descended over Ianto's small living room. Decidedly, she stood up, and looked down on Ianto demandingly.</p><p>The young man reacted with an epic eye roll, but then plastered a polite smile onto his face, and rose as well. “Of course you may use my shower,” he drawled sarcastically which was completely wasted on Serenity. “You're welcome.”</p><p>Once more rolling his eyes that caused Jack to snicker, he led the singer into the bathroom.</p><p>As soon as Ianto had returned, and both men heard the water of the shower start, Jack turned to Ianto. “You don't like her much, hm?”</p><p>“Well,” Ianto said, helplessly waving his hands. “She's... exhausting.”</p><p>“Yeah, she's that,” Jack snorted, but then winked at Ianto. “Just don't fall in love with her.”</p><p>“Wha...” Ianto spluttered, and glared at the Captain with wide eyes. “Why should I?!”</p><p>“Just saying,” Jack shrugged. “Opposites attract.”</p><p>“Tough,” Ianto growled, and petulantly crossed his arms in front of his chest, sinking deeper into the sofa's seat, “but she's not my type.”</p><p>Jack hardly doubted that. Maybe not interested in her rang truer since...</p><p>“Do you have a girlfriend?” he asked nonchalantly. He didn't know when Ianto and Lisa had met exactly.</p><p>The young man cringed for a moment next to him. “Well... There's... Her name's Lisa. She works in Acquisitions.”</p><p>Despite the nagging pinprick of jealousy that bothered him at the back of his mind, Jack shuffled closer, excited to learn more since Ianto had never talked about his time with Lisa that much – not that Jack had wanted to know, but now he felt that it helped understanding Ianto better. These days, learning as much about Ianto Jones as he could, and be it the most unimportant scrap of information like what he had had for breakfast this morning, was incredibly precious to him. “And?” he prompted with a challenging gleam in his eyes and a grin on his face.</p><p>“We've been out on a date,” Ianto shrugged. “But it didn't work out.”</p><p>“What?!” Now that really baffled Jack. “Why not?”</p><p>“We had Chinese and I took her to see the latest Bond movie. She hated both.” Ianto scrunched up his cute nose. “Sorry, but any woman in my life has to accept Bond as well.”</p><p>“A tough competition,” Jack chuckled.</p><p>Ianto rolled his eyes. “Not really, no, since you can't possibly compare Bond to a woman I'd date.”</p><p>It suddenly occurred to Jack, not with a little sarcasm, that he had been incredibly lucky that Ianto had gifted him with his affections since Jack Harkness could very well be compared to James Bond, thank you very much. But then, <em>he</em>'d never had anything against Bond. While Ianto liked the action and the suits and the cars, Jack was content to ogle the often scantily dressed actors, be it male or female.</p><p>“I think you should give her another chance,” Jack suddenly declared, and Ianto looked at him with his head cocked in wonder.</p><p>“You don't even know her.” Ianto frowned. “Or me for that matter...” He sounded less sure about the last part.</p><p>“Every woman you set your eyes on has to be remarkable.”</p><p>That shut up not only Ianto but Jack as well. Did he really play matchmaker for his own boyfriend?!</p><p>Ianto blinked at him for a few moments, completely speechless which would be a first.</p><p>“Well,” he stuttered eventually. “Maybe. Maybe if this is all over, and I come out the hero, having saved Serenity Carter from aliens, she'll think differently about me. You see, she's incredibly trendy and popular, but if I save the day, I could be good enough even for her.”</p><p>Jack frowned. He didn't like that Ianto didn't think himself good enough for Lisa, but since he knew that the Doctor and him had to make sure nobody ever learned about this incident today, least of all Ianto, and that it would work out between these two anyway, he kept his mouth shut on his real opinion.</p><p>“I'm sure that will impress her,” he replied instead, a lump suddenly constricting his throat.</p><p>“And you, Jack?” Ianto's intense gaze suddenly focussed on Jack, trying to figure him out.</p><p>“What about me?” he retorted, plastering a too bright smile onto his face.</p><p>“We know each other, don't we? I mean,” Ianto amended hastily, “I <em>will</em> know you, right?” He cocked his head in that certain way that made Jack weak in the knees. “Some of the things you say, and the way you look at me, I think...”</p><p>“Yes,” Jack cut him off, and shuffled a little closer still. Their thighs were touching by now, and their upper bodies were turned towards each other. As if magically drawn to Ianto, Jack leaned forward while, in the same moment, Ianto leaned in as well.</p><p>They scattered away from each other – Ianto completely startled and looking around in alarm with wide eyes – as a sudden wind sprang up in Ianto's living room, and the familiar, grinding noise of the TARDIS materialising echoed through the room.</p><p>Frustrated, Jack watched the blue box appear in the corner.</p><p>“What is that?!” Serenity's shocked, shrill voice suddenly sounded from the opposite direction when the door opened, and the Doctor stuck his head out.</p><p>“There we are!” he exclaimed proudly, and patted the door's wooden panels.</p><p>His mouth hanging open in awe, Ianto rose as if in a trance, his eyes fixed onto the legendary blue police box.</p><p>“Wow,” he breathed. “That's it. The TARDIS.”</p><p>“Her,” Jack corrected gently, having risen as well, and now stepped close behind Ianto, whispering in his ear while he enjoyed the younger man's proximity and body heat he could feel through both of their clothes.</p><p>“Come on,” the Doctor preened like a proud father – or rather lover. “I'll show you both around.”</p><p>“No, thank you,” Ianto finally managed, all of them ignoring Serenity's questioning, indignant noises for the moment. “We have to settle this mess first. We're not safe here.”</p><p>“This is a time machine and a space ship,” the Doctor grinned, and once more petted the door. “There's no safer place for us.”</p><p>Okay, Ianto had to admit that the Doctor had a point there.</p><p>With his heart thumping like mad in excitement, Ianto let Jack steer him through the unobtrusive wooden doors, unconsciously leaning into the hand at the small of his back. Serenity followed them with many loud questions and much protest.</p><p>Once inside, Ianto tuned out her nattering completely; the sight that presented itself to him was too awesome as that he could have concentrated on anything else.</p><p>“Say it, come on,” the Doctor egged him on, a boyish smile on his face. “I know you want to.”</p><p>Taking his gaze away from the marvellous construction of the TARDIS, Ianto met the Doctor's eyes. He cocked an impassive eyebrow despite still being completely overwhelmed.</p><p>“I work for Torchwood,” he said with as much nonchalance in his voice as he could. “Technically, I know how this works, so no, I won't say it.”</p><p>The Doctor's face fell, and he stuck out his lower lip like a pouting child. He started to frown at Ianto, and then threw an accusing glance at Jack who still stood closely beside Ianto.</p><p>“Why is this run-down thing bigger on the inside!” Serenity suddenly exclaimed loudly.</p><p>That raised the Doctor's spirits somewhat, even if he didn't like it one bit that this little ape had called Sexy <em>run-down</em>.</p><p>“Okay, what's the plan?” Ianto asked, deeming it better to ignore Serenity for the time being.</p><p>The Doctor clapped his hands, suddenly excited again. “I thought of something while I walked to get the TARDIS. Taking a walk can be quite invigorating, although I prefer some good, old running. Anyway. I think we just invite Miss Tempest for a little chat.”</p><p>Ianto cocked an unimpressed eyebrow. “You mean we kidnap her.”</p><p>“Naaah, kidnapping is such an ugly word,” the Doctor countered. “We'll just have a chat, and show her the error of her ways.”</p><p>“Didn't work so well the last time, remember, Doctor?” Jack reminded the Time Lord helpfully.</p><p>“Sure, sure, but that was on their turf. This conversation would take place in my territory. And if she won't see reason, there's a lot of unpleasant places I can drop her off for a while until she agrees with us.”</p><p>Ianto snorted at that. No violence for the Doctor, but dropping people off on dangerous planets where they could die was okay.</p><p>“And first, we'll get rid of her bodyguards. They clearly wouldn't play to my rules if asked nicely.”</p><p>“Alannah Tempest won't either,” Jack sighed in exasperation. “But oh, why not.”</p><p>Ianto looked from one man to the other, and couldn't help but frown again. That was the plan? The Doctor, Torchwood's Enemy Number One, a being feared and admired all throughout the universe, couldn't come up with a better plan?!</p><p>But, obviously, neither the Doctor nor Jack seemed to mind this half-assed plan. Why wasn't Ianto surprised. He didn't know them very well, granted, but even he had realised by now that these two had no qualms to run headlong into danger with half a plan while hoping that the other half would appear out of thin air along the way, and then, they probably considered <em>that</em> fun.</p><p>Sighing in exasperation, Ianto shook his head, but didn't contribute anything to the situation. He hadn't a better idea either, but his not-idea at least wouldn't get them killed if it didn't work as opposed to the half-cooked <em>plan</em> of the Doctor's.</p><p>Ignoring Ianto's look, the Doctor suddenly danced around the TARDIS consoles, and with a loud, much too cheery “Geronimo!”, threw a lever.</p><p>The whole ship shook, and if not for Jack steadying him, Ianto would have made a very undignified encounter with the floor. Why wasn't he surprised that the ship was as temperamental as her pilot was chaotic.</p><p> </p><p>Only a few seconds later, the TARDIS came to a standstill again. But instead, sudden commotion broke out inside the ship as it had materialised right around Alannah Tempest and her bodyguards; all four of them.</p><p>Ianto dearly wished his bag of coffee beans back.</p><p>Alannah screeched in surprised outrage, Serenity joining in when she came face-to-face for the first time with the woman who wanted to see her dead. The bodyguards drew their weapons, and Jack did likewise, having procured his confiscated weapon from somewhere. Since Ianto was still weapon less because of the Doctor's daft no-gun policy, the only thing he could do was stand by stupidly while he cursed the Doctor to the end of the universe and beyond for mindlessly hurling them all into this situation without even giving Ianto the time to arm himself. At least a cricket bat would have been nice. A stun gun. Anything!</p><p>While the two women were screaming at each other, Alannah's bodyguards actually standing by a little helplessly, one of the men spotted Ianto.</p><p>“You!” he shouted in outrage, and pointed a beefy finger at Ianto. “You hit me with that bag of disgusting little black... things!”</p><p>His fear suddenly evaporating, Ianto stemmed his hands into his hips indignantly. “Excuse me!? I wasted the finest coffee beans on your dumb head. A little bit more appreciation, please.”</p><p>The bodyguard howled angrily, and advanced on Ianto, suddenly being joined by his colleague – probably the one Ianto had tazered and who wasn't very happy with the young man as well at the moment.</p><p>Breathing heavily, Ianto steeled himself for the confrontation, and forced himself to stand firm. He wasn't in any way prepared to let himself be overpowered by these rude peasant!</p><p>“Leave him alone!” Jack shouted, and suddenly placed himself between Ianto and the bodyguards with his gun pointed at those two. Jack's eyes narrowed in fury. “If you touch him, I'll kill you on the spot.”</p><p>One of the bodyguards opened his mouth to reply, but in the next second, the whole ship shook violently. Everyone inside struggled to stay on their feet, most of the occupants toppled to the ground, the sounds of the two popstars screaming mixing in with the rumbling and wheezing noise of the TARDIS flying through the vortex. For a split-second, the ship stilled before she powered-up once more.</p><p>Wide-eyed, Ianto looked into the bodyguards' stupefied faces as their bodies suddenly started to fade. Then, they were gone.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Jack asked, and crawled over to Ianto.</p><p>Jack's voice brought him out of his stupor, and he blinked at the older man who was now kneeling before him, a concerned look in his eyes as he scrutinised Ianto from head to toe.</p><p>Mutely, Ianto nodded, and instinctively leaned into Jack's hand that suddenly cupped his cheek gently.</p><p>“What happened?” he asked instead, still a little breathless.</p><p>Jack finally tore his gaze away from Ianto to look over to the Doctor standing at the consoles. “The Doctor dematerialised the TARDIS around the bodyguards.”</p><p>“They're still on Earth?!” Ianto asked sharply, his gaze flitting over to the Time Lord to glare at him.</p><p>“No, no,” the Doctor assured. “I brought us onto an uninhabited planet, and dumped them there. For the moment, they aren't a danger to anyone.”</p><p>Huffing, Ianto decided that it wasn't worth the headache he'd surely develop trying to argue with the Doctor. So, he simply ignored the Time Lord, and instead allowed Jack to pull him to his feet.</p><p>“Did you really knock that bodyguard out with a bag of coffee beans?” Jack asked, beaming at Ianto while he held his hands clasped tightly in his own even after they were both standing again.</p><p>“Yeah,” Ianto admitted a little sheepishly. “And I tazered the other.”</p><p>Jack let out a booming laugh at Jack, and he suddenly surged forward to hug Ianto exuberantly. “Oh Ianto Jones, you're a marvel!”</p><p>A little dazed at the unexpected contact, Ianto smiled tentatively, his cheeks warming with shy pleasure at the praise, and wrapped his arms around Jack for a moment before the Captain let go of him again.</p><p>A sharp clapping and the Doctor's self-satisfied voice brought them out of their own little world again.</p><p>“So,” the Time Lord smiled, “now we can talk like civilised beings.”</p><p>His expectant gaze focussed in on the two women still on board, but they only had eyes for each other.</p><p>For a moment, they glared daggers at each other, then, suddenly, they longed for each other's throats. Screaming like banshees, the women scratched and clawed at each other's faces, pulled the other's hair, and wrestled each other through the whole control room.</p><p>Jack stood by, watching them with interest and a highly amused smile on his face. Ianto decided, since it wasn't worth getting a bloody nose over, to join the Captain in watching from the side lines.</p><p>The Doctor didn't seem inclined the let the two popstars battle it out on their own. Fluttering around the fighting pair like an agitated clucking hen, he tried to shout and plead with them to separate them.</p><p>When suddenly, Alannah's fist connected with his nose that had actually been intended for Serenity, the Time Lord's stunted survival instincts finally kicked in. Hastily, he stumbled over to one of the chairs around the console. Nursing his bloody nose and glaring petulantly at the two women, he perched on the chair like an offended vulture, and ultimately had to accept that higher powers than his were at work here which even he couldn't battle successfully.</p><p>The three men watched the women fight it out for some time without even thinking about stepping in (even the Doctor seemed to have come to that conviction).</p><p>Eventually, Serenity and Alannah slowed down noticeably physically, even if their determined will and hatred for each other was still unbroken.</p><p>With what seemed to be her last strength, Serenity pulled her fist back, and punched Alannah right into her pretty face. Dark blue blood shot from the woman’s nostrils as she screamed in pain. She stumbled backwards and landed very ungracefully in one of the chairs around the consoles.</p><p>Panting heavily, Serenity stood above the whimpering and growling woman, and stared down at her with hard eyes.</p><p>“Now listen to me, you bitch,” she hissed, proudly drawing herself up to her full height. “I don’t give a fuck if you are the universe’s darling. I wouldn’t care even if you were the queen of the universe. On this planet, missy, <em>I</em>’m the big star, got it? Nobody invited you here, and if you know what’s good for you, you shove your fat, blue ass into your spaceship and over to the next plastic surgeon and let them see to that nose if you want to keep your pretty looks. Do I make myself clear?!”</p><p>Breathing heavily as well, although she had some trouble with it because of all the blood clogging up her nose, Alannah glared up haughtily at Serenity. For seemingly infinite moments, they stared at each other in a last battle wills which, at the end, was decided when Serenity took a menacing step forward, her fist raised threateningly which made Alannah flinch involuntarily, and curl her hand even tighter around her nose protectively.</p><p>Since Alannah apparently cared more about the intactness of her face than about her reputation, she eventually sat up straight with as much dignity as she could still muster up. Rising to her feet gracefully, she took her hand away from her swollen nose and looked down at Serenity who was actually a bit shorter than her.</p><p>“This is beneath me,” she said in clipped, haughty tones which couldn’t mask the nasal tone of her voice though. “As if anybody in the rest of the universe cares about this mud ball of a planet. Most people don’t even know it exists.”</p><p>She threw her hair over her shoulder in a well-practised, alluring looking gesture. “Keep this planet if you like. I know who I am and don’t feel threatened by someone like you.”</p><p>Miraculously, Serenity stayed completely calm during Alannah’s spiteful speech. On the contrary, the corners of her mouth twitched in grim satisfaction and mockery as even she realised Alannah’s desperate attempt to save face in front of them all.</p><p>Nodding jerkily since she’d brought her point across, Alannah, having scraped together the last of her dignity and wrapped it around her battered form like a cloak, turned away from Serenity and to the Doctor.</p><p>“Since why you kidnapped me has been solved now, obviously, I’d really appreciate if you took me back to my ship now.”</p><p>She cocked a haughty eyebrow that the Doctor met with a chuckle he desperately tried to hold in.</p><p>Nodding, the Time Lord set about to quickly collect Alannah’s pissed off bodyguards, and then dropped the five of them off in the popstar’s spaceship that hovered in the orbit around Earth.</p><p>The whole thing felt a little anticlimactic, Ianto thought as he watched the proceedings, but he was nonetheless glad that today’s crisis had been overcome with relatively little bloodshed and – even more important – without an intergalactic war having been started because of two haughty divas.</p><p>When their “guests” were disposed of, a sudden, indeed anticlimactic silence descended over the console room.</p><p>That was, until Serenity raised her voice again.</p><p>“I need the loo now,” she declared, the relief of having survived evident in her voice. “And probably another shower and a hospital, but that can wait.”</p><p>Expectantly, she looked at the Doctor who waved her down the corridor she promptly disappeared into.</p><p>“What are we gonna do with her?” Ianto asked the other two men softly as they all stared after Serenity.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Confused, the Doctor looked from Ianto to Jack.</p><p>But Jack nodded in understanding. “It's better if she doesn't remember what happened to her today.”</p><p>The Doctor frowned. “The people I meet always remember what happened.”</p><p>“Yeah, 's not always for the best, I imagine,” Ianto countered, and cocked a challenging eyebrow.</p><p>The Time Lord pouted for a moment. “I don't like this whole Retcon-thing you lot seem so fond of.”</p><p>“You know it's for the best,” Jack insisted. “The people of this century aren't ready yet.”</p><p>“Oh well, if you insist,” the Doctor sighed theatrically.</p><p>“We do,” Ianto confirmed. “But wait. Retcon? Torchwood Cardiff uses that stuff, right?”</p><p>“Exactly.” Jack frowned, suddenly unhappy. “Problem is, I don't have any. Haven't had it for centuries.”</p><p>“I do, though.” The Doctor shrugged at Jack's surprised look. “I borrowed some of yours once.”</p><p>“Oh really,” Jack drawled sarcastically, but then thought to let the matter rest. “Doesn't matter. Good for us now. I hope you know where the pill is, Doctor.”</p><p>“Of course I do,” the Time Lord sniffed, and disappeared in the bowels of the TARDIS.</p><p>“He doesn't know, does he?” Ianto deadpanned.</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>“What's gonna happen now?”</p><p>Jack and Ianto spun around as Serenity suddenly returned into the control room. The two men exchanged a quick glance.</p><p>“How about some tea?” Ianto suggested. “You went through a lot today.”</p><p>Her expectant gaze softened somewhat. “Oh, yeah, that would be great.”</p><p>“I'll show you to the kitchen,” Jack offered, and started leading them out of the control room and down numerous corridors.</p><p>Eventually, just in time as the tea was ready to be served, the Doctor joined them, and came to a stop beside Ianto at the counter to surreptitiously slip a small white pill into one of the mugs of steaming tea.</p><p>Eagerly, Serenity accepted her mug, inhaling the calming aroma, and so, didn't even notice the three men watching her from under lowered lashes.</p><p>“I should get back now,” she declared as soon as she'd drunk her Retcon-laced tea. “This incident has thrown me back in my schedule. I have a photo shooting early tomorrow morning.”</p><p>“We understand,” Jack smiled his most charming smile, and got up after her, gently steering her from the room. “We're really sorry for what happened.”</p><p>The pop star shrugged. “Wasn't so bad in the end, but I prefer the madness of my own business.”</p><p>Nodding in understanding, Jack guided her back into the control room with Ianto and the Doctor following.</p><p>At the door, she suddenly seemed unsure. “So... thanks, I guess.” She looked at all three of them, her gaze lingering on Ianto. Gnawing on her lower lip in indecision, she suddenly stepped forward, and kissed him right on the lips.</p><p>“Thank you,” she whispered, and then turned to open the door of the TARDIS.</p><p>Ianto grinned when he saw Jack pout.</p><p>“Jealous?” he mouthed.</p><p>“Pfft, you wish,” Jack snorted.</p><p>Serenity Carter threw one last look back on her saviours, then, she was out the door.</p><p>All three men breathed a sigh of relief when the TARDIS door closed behind her.</p><p>“Well, ehm, she was quite the hand-full,” the Doctor mumbled, and adjusted his bowtie.</p><p>The two humans hummed in agreement.</p><p>“Okay then.” The Doctor clapped his hands, and didn't wait for Jack and Ianto's answer before he dashed to the console. “Let's get out of here.”</p><p>“Wait!”</p><p>Startled, the Doctor almost stumbled on his dash to the controls.</p><p>Ianto searched both men's eyes. “What about her bodyguard? He may be dead. How do we explain what happened to him? And don't we have to suggest a possible story to her while she's sleeping it off? Isn't that how that stuff works?”</p><p>Jack suddenly looked incredibly proud of Ianto that the younger man had thought about these small details.</p><p>“You're right. We'll take care of it, the Doc and I. It's a time machine, after all. We have all the time in the world.” Jack winked at Ianto.</p><p>“Exactly. And I'd like to get to it now, if you don't mind,” the Doctor stated impatiently, meeting no further resistance from the two humans.</p><p>While the Doctor was busily hurtling the TARDIS back into the vortex, Jack stepped up to Ianto closely.</p><p>“Come with me,” Jack said, smiling at Ianto gently, and grasping his hand while the Doctor looked on, watching the smouldering gazes the two men threw each other warily. “I'll show you around.”</p><p>Ianto's answer was a nod and a gentle smile of his own.</p><p>Pensively, the Time Lord sneaked furtive glances at the two men, watching them disappear down the corridor. He contemplated going after them, of stopping Jack, but, really, he couldn't. He didn't begrudge Jack this small moment of happiness. Even if they hadn't talked about it, both time travellers knew that they had to wipe Ianto's memories of today, too, no matter what happened, and no matter how amazed the Doctor had been about the naturalness these two worked together even though Ianto didn't know Jack at all and for Jack it had been centuries since he'd last had Ianto at his side. It was almost a shame to tear this formidable team apart, and a bad consciousness once more reared its ugly head inside the Doctor. Jack's pain of missing Ianto now that he had him back was almost palpable. He'd never thought that Jack Harkness of all people, although he had a heart so big that he could give love in surpluss, would ever find a love that was true and so strong it would have been able to move mountains if it hadn't been snuffed out so cruelly. But the timeline had to be kept intact under all circumstances, if the Doctor liked it or not. So, this small respite, the only thing he could give Jack, was not too much to ask for, wasn't it...</p><p>Plus, the Doctor really daren't go after them lest he bore witness to something that would stick with him for the rest of his regenerations. He'd rather fabricate those cover stories Ianto had insisted on.</p><p> </p><p>“This is amazing, Jack,” Ianto marvelled, and looked around with wide eyes as Jack showed him his favourites of all the exciting, bizarre, and fascinating rooms the TARDIS was hiding.</p><p>“She is, isn't she,” Jack agreed with a gentle smile, but rubbed his thumb over the back of Ianto's hand that he still held clasped in his own. Catching the young man's eyes, he smiled. “Come, I'll show you where I lived when I travelled with the Doctor.”</p><p>Nodding, Ianto let Jack pull him along through the endless corridors until they stopped in front of a door that looked exactly like all the other doors in the TARDIS. With a flourish, Jack bowed, and stepped aside so Ianto could enter the room.</p><p>Inside the cosy bedroom, Jack stopped for a second, and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “I missed this, missed being here.”</p><p>A dreamy smile crept onto his face, and Ianto couldn't help but smile as well at the sight.</p><p>“It's a nice room,” he had to admit, looking around to take in the room all made of dark wood and smooth, red sheets on the bed. Soft lamps spread a golden shine over everything. The only thing missing was a cosy fireplace burning bright and warm.</p><p>Jack shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “It was the first real home I had after a long time.”</p><p>Ianto turned to look at him. “I'm sorry.”</p><p>“Doesn't matter anymore,” Jack replied with a smile, trying to down-play his emotions, but unsure how well he succeeded if maybe Ianto could read his emotions like he had during their time together even though he didn't know Jack now.</p><p>The two men looked at each other over the small distance separating them. The air in the room seemed to shift suddenly, sizzling like electricity, getting hotter and more heavy with meaning.</p><p>Ianto had to swallow heavily all of a sudden.</p><p>“Jack... I...”</p><p>But Jack didn't let him finish whatever it was he'd wanted to say. With two long strides, he bridged the distance between them, and crashed his lips against Ianto's. The young man made a surprised noise deep in his throat, but nonetheless responded to the kiss eagerly. Wrapping his arms tightly around Jack's neck, he pressed himself close. Now, it was Jack's turn to moan as he felt his lover's light body flush against his for the first time in centuries. He drew Ianto into a tight embrace, never wanting to let him go again.</p><p>“You're a good kisser,” Ianto mumbled eventually when they pulled back from each other a fraction, looking each other deep in the eye. A small blush of embarrassment spread over Ianto's cheeks, and he had to avert his eyes.</p><p>Jack grinned smugly at that, and promptly dove in for another kiss.</p><p>Ianto's enthusiastic responses were a bit clumsy still, but Jack swore to himself that he would have the young man up to par again once he was through with him. After all, Ianto had always been a quick and eager pupil.</p><p>Overly aware that this was Ianto's first time with him – that he wouldn't know how to touch Jack to elicit the most amount of pleasure while Jack, on the other hand, knew exactly with which touches to catapult the young man into unknown heights of ecstasy –, Jack reined himself in a bit. He didn't want to overwhelm Ianto. Not yet.</p><p>Having trouble to abort the amazing kiss, Ianto pulled back eventually. “Wait,” he panted, his fingers burying into the fabric of Jack's shirt as he clung to him like a lifeline.</p><p>“Jack... I've never...”</p><p>“It's alright.” Jack smiled at him soothingly, wrapping his arms tightly around the young man so he could pull him flush against his body again. “I know that I'm your first guy.”</p><p>“No.” Ianto shook his head, swallowing around the lump in his throat and trying to ignore his embarrassment that manifested itself in a heavy blush over his cheeks.</p><p>Jack searched the younger man's face intently. Then, his eyes widened in shock.</p><p>“Oh,” he breathed in comprehension, unable to say anything for the moment as he could only stare at Ianto, dumbfounded.</p><p>By the Gods. The thought that he would be Ianto's first, not just his first man but <em>ever</em>, that he would be his first and his last, even if Ianto wouldn't remember... It stole Jack's breath away, and threatened to bring sudden tears to his eyes.</p><p>Ianto started to squirm uncomfortably since Jack remained silent for so long, only able to stare at Ianto with wide eyes.</p><p>He started to pull away from Jack. “Maybe we should...”</p><p>Panic rushed through him, and quickly, Jack reached out to grasp Ianto's shoulders, keeping him where he was. “No!” he almost shouted, startling them both.</p><p>Astonished, Ianto stared at Jack with wide eyes, suddenly insecure being confronted with Jack's emotional outburst.</p><p>Breathing in deeply, Jack forced himself to calm down. It wouldn't do to reveal too much about what he was really feeling for this young man, wouldn't it? Not to this version of Ianto anyway. He smiled gently at him, loosening his grip on Ianto's shoulder so that he could slide his hand upwards and cup the younger's cheek.</p><p>“I want to,” Jack assured the insecure man, caressing his cheek lovingly.</p><p>A little shakily, Ianto returned the smile, clearly relieved that Jack didn't judge him for his sore lack of experience and push him away because of it.</p><p>Jack didn't give him any time to further think things through over and over because once more, he leaned in for a deep kiss that made Ianto's toes curl. Wrapping his arms tightly around Jack's neck, he clung to the other man as if for dear life, and therefore, when Jack started to walk them both backwards, he let himself be guided willingly.</p><p>They both almost stumbled as, on the way, they toed off their shoes carelessly while still kissing deeply. Ianto’s whole world tilted suddenly as Jack gently pushed him back to carefully lower him onto the mattress of the bed. Jack followed him immediately, and Ianto eagerly pulled him down to rest on his own body. He felt secure with Jack's hot body blanketing him from head to toe, but it surely would feel even better if they were skin to skin. Impatient all of a sudden, Ianto grasped a fistful of Jack's shirt at the small of his back, and started pulling it out of his trousers. Jack laughed into his mouth at the impatient little growl that escaped Ianto.</p><p>Pulling back, Jack sat up on his haunches, and stared at Ianto for a long moment once more. But this time, Ianto didn't feel uncomfortable or even rejected. He felt... loved. And when Jack started taking off Ianto's clothes piece by piece almost reverently, he felt worshipped. The intense concentration with which Jack disrobed him was almost frightening, Jack's eyes were glued firmly to every centimetre of skin he uncovered until finally, Ianto lay before him completely naked. Jack's gaze almost felt like a physical caress, and it was so intense that Ianto became so aroused that he wasn't even embarrassed about his needy erection being right on display for Jack's hungry eyes. On the contrary. When Jack's eyes came to rest on his hard cock, almost devouring it, Ianto felt himself harden impossibly further.</p><p>As if drawn in by a spell, Jack suddenly bend down over Ianto's crotch, and took him into his mouth without any forewarning.</p><p>The reverent spell having wrapped around them shattered abruptly, and the younger man couldn't help himself, he cried out in shocked surprise which quickly turned into a moan when pleasure blazed through his body like a wildfire. Every single nerve-ending lit up with pleasure. So he could hold on for dear life, his hands flew down to bury in the hair of the man crouching between his spread legs.</p><p>More than once, Ianto had tried to imagine what it felt liked being sucked off, but experiencing it now for real… Every fantasy he’d ever had paled in the face of reality.</p><p>Tears sprang to his eyes, and a noise half sob half scream was wrenched from his throat as he instinctively let go to bury himself in Jack’s snug, hot throat.</p><p>“’M sorry,” he panted as he realised what he had done, and he wanted to shrink back into the mattress, but Jack let his erection slip from his mouth to smile at him in reassurance. He actually winked at Ianto.</p><p>“Don’t hold back,” the older man urged, his voice deep and rough with desperate arousal. “I want you to let go.”</p><p>Ianto needed a moment to comprehend what Jack was offering him, and when he did, his breathing sped up in anticipation.</p><p>Grinning with satisfaction, Jack bend down again to lick his way up the length of Ianto’s cock teasingly until he finally reached the head, and he slid his lips over the leaking glans while his strong hand slipped down to knead and roll Ianto’s balls between his fingers.</p><p>This time, Ianto didn’t hold back. The second Jack’s lips slid all the way down to the base of his cock, Ianto snapped his hips up. Jack swallowed around him as his cock buried itself deep in Jack’s throat, and Ianto screamed loudly at the ecstasy the action caused. He almost came on the spot, but with all the willpower he had, he managed to hold back. He didn’t want this to be over.</p><p>Panting heavily, he slumped back into the mattress, and Jack gave him some time to recover from the almost climax. Gently suckling at the head of Ianto’s cock like a lollipop while firmly stroking the shaft’s base wasn’t really much of a respite in Ianto’s eyes. Biting his lower lip hard, he tried to breathe through the pleasure once more.</p><p>Suddenly, Jack pulled back, and regarded Ianto with a cocked eyebrow. “I told you, don’t hold back.”</p><p>“But…”</p><p>“Believe me, I have so much more up my sleeve for you.” Jack winked cockily at him.</p><p>With his mouth hanging open in dumb disbelief, Ianto stared at Jack for close to a minute before he finally nodded jerkily.</p><p>Making a happy little noise, Jack went back to his task, and this time, when pleasure started bubbling up deep inside of Ianto after all the licking and sucking and stroking, he didn’t hold back. With one last jerky thrust of his hips, he buried himself deep into Jack’s mouth, and came down his throat with a hoarse shout.</p><p>Jack swallowed his panting breaths pouring from his mouth as the older man crawled up his heaving body to blanket Ianto’s with his own. Ianto could taste himself on Jack’s tongue, and it wasn’t so bad as he’d imagined.</p><p>Jack’s arousal pressing hot and hard into his thigh gave Ianto back some strength. Instinctively, he knew what would happen now, and, surprisingly, he wanted it. He’d never, not even in his wildest dreams, imagined being taken by another man, but right this moment, it was what he wanted most in this world.</p><p>Deepening the kiss, Ianto sluggishly rolled them both around until he lay on Jack, his thighs splayed left and right to the older man’s. A shudder of excitement gripped him when Jack gave a little thrust upwards so that his hot erection slipped between the cheeks of Ianto’s ass. He felt slick precome smearing his skin where the head of Jack’s cock rubbed against his crack, and suddenly, this couldn’t go fast enough.</p><p>Slightly awkwardly, Ianto scrambled from Jack and around until he was on his knees, facing the headboard.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Jack asked, and, rising to his knees himself, pressed himself flush to Ianto's back.</p><p>The younger man had to suppress a groan as Jack's hard, hot body plastered itself against his, and once more, his cock slipped between his cheeks like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle slotting together.</p><p>“I... I thought t-this would make it easier,” he stammered, confused and suddenly embarrassed again.</p><p>Jack's chuckle that poured over his body like warm honey had a slightly amused note to it, but nonetheless, Ianto didn't feel teased or embarrassed by it at all but strangely comforted.</p><p>“You're right,” Jack growled into Ianto's ear, pressing impossibly closer, “but I need to look into your eyes when we make love.”</p><p>“M-make love?” Ianto hated the high-pitched squeal in his voice, but he couldn't help himself; he was just so surprised by Jack's choice of words. Sure, he'd already noticed that there seemed more to Jack's feelings for him than the other man would let on, more to whatever their relationship in the future may be, and Ianto couldn’t even explain his own feelings he had for Jack, but love? That was a whole new level of their acquaintance. This was so much more…</p><p>In answer, Jack gently turned Ianto's head until he could reach his mouth for another deep kiss that, despite the hunger and the passion, felt unbearably gentle and loving. Ianto sighed softly into the kiss, and wanted to melt into Jack's body pressing against him.</p><p>Jack pulled back, but only a fraction, so that, when he spoke, his moving lips still brushed Ianto's.  “Stay like that for now.”</p><p>Ianto shuddered at the passionate promise the words entailed.</p><p>“Trust me.”</p><p>“I do,” Ianto replied shakily, and as if to give proof of his words, pressed himself back against Jack's chest even more, demandingly, pleadingly.</p><p>Before he could do or say anything else, Jack reached forward to guide Ianto's hands to the headboard, curling his fingers around the bed posts. Then, he was gone, Ianto’s sweat-slick back suddenly exposed to cool air uncomfortably, and for a moment, Ianto was unsure what Jack actually had planned. The mattress dipped and wobbled behind him, and he wanted to turn his head around so he could see for himself what Jack was up to.</p><p>He never got the chance. A shocked gasp that may have been his attempt at Jack’s name got stuck in his throat, almost choking him, when he suddenly felt Jack's strong fingers pull his cheeks apart, and a rough, wet tongue licking over his entrance.</p><p>New arousal blazed brightly through him and seemed to pool in that one spot where Jack’s tongue proceeded to do unspeakable things to him.</p><p>Ianto’s fingers gripped the headboard impossibly tighter until his knuckles turned white, and he imagined he could hear the wood creaking in protest under his grip.</p><p>When Jack suddenly thrust his tongue into Ianto, the young man screamed in surprised arousal. Pulling his cheeks apart even further, Jack thrust deeper, his tongue slowly fucking Ianto as he prepared him for a much bigger intrusion that was yet to come.</p><p>By now, Ianto’s cock was full and heavy once more, but he didn’t dare to take his hands away from the headboard and find some relief; he was afraid he would fly apart if he moved even one inch.</p><p>He clenched in surprise as a strong finger suddenly slipped into his hole alongside Jack’s tongue.</p><p>“Relax,” Jack murmured against his skin, and moved upwards to press soothing kisses and playful bites onto Ianto’s cheeks.</p><p>“E-easy for you to say,” he complained, but only received an amused laugh in reply.</p><p>A second finger joined the first all of a sudden, making Ianto screw his eyes shut at the slightly strange, unfamiliar feeling, and only then did Ianto notice how slick the fingers were.  </p><p>“Where did you get the lube?” he wanted to know, his words only barely tumbling past his lips since his mouth was much too busy with drawing precious air into his lungs.</p><p>“Bedside table,” Jack answered while he gently thrust his fingers in and out of Ianto, slowly widening him.</p><p>“How…” Ianto whimpered when Jack’s digits suddenly grazed a spot inside of him that had him seeing stars, and for a moment, he forgot what had been on his mind at all. “How long’s that stuff been in there?” He attempted to look over his shoulder to glare at Jack. “I don’t want any rash down there just because of expired lube.”</p><p>Jack snickered at that, but at the same moment, returned with three fingers. “Don’t worry. It’s the good alien stuff.”</p><p>“How reassuring,” Ianto grumbled. “There’s no expiration date in space or what?”</p><p>“Actually, that stuff isn’t even invented yet,” Jack grinned. “Fifty-seventh century lube.”</p><p>Before Ianto could argue about the error in Jack’s logic, the Captain stabbed his fingers back inside of him again, and once more graced that magic spot that had Ianto seeing stars. All logical thought evaporated inside Ianto’s brain like hot air, and the only thing he could do was press back into Jack’s touch.</p><p>Shoving his fingers as deep as he could and holding them there, Jack straightened up from his crouch behind Ianto, and once again plastered himself to his back.</p><p>“This formula has some numbing qualities added to it. There won’t be any pain. The only thing you will feel is pleasure when I bury my cock inside of you deep, and always deeper until you feel me up in your throat.”</p><p>Ianto’s breath caught in his throat, and heat spread through his whole body at Jack’s low, raspy words.</p><p>More lube was spread around and inside of his entrance, and Ianto noticed that Jack had been right; there was a bit of minimal discomfort, but no pain at all. His breathing sped up once again, and suddenly impatient, he pushed back against Jack’s fingers.</p><p>“Are you ready for me?” Jack breathed into his ear, and Ianto nodded jerkily.</p><p>He trembled when Jack helped him lie down again, and only when he felt Jack’s comforting weight blanketing him, was he able to breath freely again. The nervousness that had sprung up on him deflated as abruptly as it had appeared.</p><p>Eagerly, Ianto spread his thighs for Jack to slide between, caging the older man’s body tightly in the cradle of his legs because he never wanted to let him go.</p><p>Wide-eyed, Ianto watched as Jack slathered a good portion of lube onto his rock-hard cock, seeing it properly for the first time. Instead of fear, sharp arousal once more spread through him at the sight. His eyes moved up to Jack’s face. The older man was biting his lip, his eyes closed tightly as he tried not to come from his own touch. Ianto thought he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life.</p><p>When Jack opened his eyes again, their gazes met. They held fast to each other as Jack slowly shuffled closer and suddenly, the slippery head of his cock bumped against Ianto’s quivering entrance.</p><p>Drawing in a deep breath, Ianto nodded. “Do it. I want to feel you inside of me.”</p><p>Pausing for another moment, Jack smiled at Ianto lovingly. Then, he thrust his hips forward. The head of his cock breached the tight ring of muscle, and finally, he could plunge deep inside his lover unhindered until he was buried completely in the vice-like, hot channel.</p><p>Both men groaned loudly, their bodies shaking with ecstasy and the strain to keep still for a moment, sweat coating their skin in a shiny layer.</p><p>Still looking deep into Jack's eyes, Ianto concentrated onto the rest of his body. He indeed didn't feel any pain from Jack stretching him so impossibly wide, he only felt full in an incredibly erotic way. He thought he could feel every ridge and bump of Jack's cock touching his sensitive walls, thought he could even feel the blood pumping through the veins along the shaft. It was a feeling he couldn't really describe. Experimentally, he clenched around Jack's erection, and his heart skipped a happy, satisfied beat when Jack reacted with a deep, throaty moan as he was gripped so tightly, and a shudder ran through his whole body. Playfully, Jack glared at Ianto's smirking face, and a mock-pout formed on the older man's lips.</p><p>“Careful,” he rasped teasingly. “We don't want this to be over before it even started, wouldn't we.”</p><p>Ianto grunted at that sarcastically. “I really think you have more stamina than that.”</p><p>A leering grin slowly crept onto Jack's face. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Wanna see how much?”</p><p>“It's only up to you, Jack,” Ianto teased. “I'm waiting for ages here.”</p><p>The cheeky expression was wiped from Ianto's face when suddenly, Jack rolled his hips in a first deep thrust.</p><p>The air was forced from Ianto's lungs, and his hands flew up to cling tightly to Jack's biceps. Oh, this was good! He’d never imagined…</p><p>Smiling smugly, Jack did it again, and, wrapping his arms around Ianto's back to place his hands flat onto his shoulder blades for leverage, pulling Ianto's chest flush against his with the movement, he set a slow rhythm. With every firm thrust into his lover's body, he took him deeper until both men couldn't really say anymore where one ended and the other started.</p><p>In a sudden move, Ianto wrapped his legs around Jack's waist to pull him in even tighter. He wanted to melt into Jack completely, and never wanted this feeling to stop. He cried out suddenly when Jack canted his hips, and the head of his cock forcefully crashed right into that magical spot from earlier. Ianto saw stars for a moment, the ecstasy flaring through his body all of a sudden almost consuming him completely.</p><p>“Do that again!” he panted, and dug his trembling fingers deeper into the slippery skin of Jack's upper arms.</p><p>Grinning smugly, Jack complied gladly.</p><p>It really wasn’t long before Ianto felt the familiar tingling at the base of his spine and the tightening in his crotch. His heart hammering wildly in his chest, he clung to Jack for dear life, and met him thrust for thrust. He cried out violently after a particularly vicious thrust that nailed his prostate dead on, and with the friction of his cock being trapped between their bellies, it was enough to hurl Ianto over the edge headlong into a violent climax.</p><p>Above him, Jack stilled suddenly, and, throwing his head back, let out a hoarse shout before his whole frame trembled in orgasm, the contractions around his cock carrying him away.</p><p>A small moan left Ianto’s lips as he felt hot liquid fill him. He tightened the grip of his legs around Jack’s waist to keep his twitching cock as deep inside of him as possible.</p><p>Their eyes met for a long moment, and time seemed to stand still around them.</p><p>Jack bend down for a kiss with Ianto meeting him halfway.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Ianto startled awake suddenly and sat up. Still a little groggy, he blinked around, but there was no trace of Jack. He didn't hear any noise from the adjacent bathroom either.</p><p>Slightly disappointed, Ianto climbed from the warm, comfortable bed, and started gathering his clothes.</p><p>Once dressed, he ventured out back into the corridors, and hoped to find his way back to the console room or wherever he could find Jack and the Doctor.</p><p>He must have been on the right track because suddenly, he heard voices around the next corner. The discussion taking place between the Doctor and Jack sounded heated and urgent, and suddenly unsure, Ianto stopped just before rounding the corner.</p><p>He didn't want to eavesdrop, but it was impossible <em>not</em> to hear Jack and the Doctor's words even if their voices were hushed.</p><p>“Jack,” the Doctor hissed, a weary note to his voice. “I told you no. He...” A soft sigh left the alien's lips. “He's not for you. It can't be. And deep down, you know that. Jack. This isn't real.”</p><p>“Then make it real!” Jack shouted, furious and desperate. “If you ever felt even the tiniest bit of regret for what you've done to me, then you owe me this. Give him back to me.”</p><p>“I can't,” the Doctor said after a long pause. “I'm sorry.”</p><p>Another long silence reigned, then, pounding footsteps could be heard banging on the metal-grated floor, nearing the corridor Ianto was hiding in. Hastily, Ianto jumped back a step, but couldn't go anywhere else. Wide-eyed, he met Jack's shuttered gaze when the Captain stormed around the corner. They stared at each other for a seemingly infinite amount of time, a kaleidoscope of emotions whirling between them.</p><p>But then, the spell was broken, and Jack marched past him without another word. The only thing Ianto could do was stare after his lover, confused and unsure what had just happened, and what would happen now.</p><p>He looked in the other direction, and met the Doctor's compassionate gaze dead-on. He gulped involuntarily. That look couldn't mean well for him, and deep down, he knew what this was all about.</p><p>A spark of rebellious resistance suddenly flared up inside of him. In that moment, he realised that he didn't want to leave Jack. He wasn't blind, he saw how much Jack missed him even if he tried to hide it. He didn't have the whole story, but from where Jack stood, Ianto must be dead for a long time now. It wasn't fair that the older man should suffer so much again by losing him twice. And to be honest... Ianto liked being with Jack. Maybe even loved it. Him.</p><p>His sudden change of mood must have been visible in his eyes because, his eyes widening in alarm, the Doctor opened his mouth to speak.</p><p>But Ianto held up a hand briskly to stop any reasoning the Doctor may have. “Don't,” he said curtly. And with that, he turned on the spot to follow Jack.</p><p> </p><p>He didn't have long to look. The Captain had gone back to his room, and Ianto found him curled up on the bed. Without saying anything, he went over to the bed, and laid down behind Jack, pulling him into his arms. He only realised Jack was crying when Jack's shoulders starting shaking uncontrollably. The only thing Ianto could do in that moment was hug Jack tighter, and lending him silent comfort and strength.</p><p>“I have to give you Retcon,” Jack finally whispered, his voice rough and scratchy from crying.</p><p>“I know,” Ianto replied softly, a sudden lump constricting his throat.</p><p>“I can't do it, Ianto. It's almost like losing you all over again.”</p><p>He didn't ask Jack how exactly he had lost him although he desperately wanted to. But he worked for Torchwood; he knew that keeping the timelines intact was of the utmost importance, and knowing too much could be dangerous.</p><p>“You can do it, Jack,” he soothed the other man, willing his voice to sound sure and strong although he felt anything but on the inside. “You are strong.”</p><p>“I'm not. I'm really not,” Jack argued, and shuffled around until he lay facing Ianto, clinging to him as if he was afraid that he vanished into thin air if he didn't hold on to him. “I lost that strength to deal with the loss a long time ago. Why do you think I hide on that horribly peaceful planet?” He shook his head with a sad grimace. “One day, I'll have recovered. I will travel the universe again, find new friends, new lovers, but at one point, it will start all over again.” He shrugged helplessly. “In the end, I'll ultimately have to spend my endless life alone. Everyone will leave me eventually, even the Doctor.”</p><p>Ianto had to swallow heavily. Although if he didn't get the whole picture here concerning the Captain, Jack's fate sounded so bleak and desperately sad that he wanted to cry. Why would destiny or whatever deity there was punish a good man like Jack that much? Was there no-one who could help deliver him from this fate?</p><p>“Then... tell me what to do,” he insisted, mindlessly brushing his hands all over Jack’s body in an attempt to soothe him. “I'll do anything to help you.”</p><p>Smiling sadly, Jack reached up to caress the side of Ianto's face. “There's nothing you can do, but I love you for trying.”</p><p>He knew the answer, even if he was no expert at time travel, but Ianto asked anyway, “What would happen if we ran away together? Leave it all behind?”</p><p>A spark of excited happiness found its way onto Jack’s face, but it died as quickly as it had appeared. “Then I would lose all the memories I made with your older self. Our timeline would be overwritten, and a lot of people would be affected, maybe even die.”</p><p>“Because I’d never join Torchwood Three?” Ianto cocked his head questioningly. “That's it, isn't it? It took me a while to realise, but you are Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood Cardiff. And I'll join your team someday, won't I?”</p><p>Jack hesitated with his answer for a moment, but in the end, he decided to confide in Ianto. “Yeah, you will. And, Ianto, I want to be selfish. Timelines be damned, we can make new memories, but...”</p><p>“I know,” Ianto sighed dejectedly. “Sorry for even suggesting it.”</p><p>“It's okay.”</p><p>“I hate time travel,” the younger man suddenly pouted petulantly which made Jack laugh. But he almost choked on his laugh as new tears suddenly ran down his face.</p><p>“I'm not very endeared to the concept at the moment either. But on the other hand, I got the chance to see you again.”</p><p>“Yeah, and look at you. All it caused you was reliving old pain,” Ianto argued, disgruntled. “I don't know what happened, what will happen to me, to us, but I can see how much you hurt.”</p><p>Jack shook his head. “It hurts, yes, but you can't imagine how happy I am to have met this version of you. We made new memories like this that I can take with me.”</p><p>“But I won't remember.” It was a fact, not a question since both men knew the inevitable had to happen.</p><p>“Yes,” Jack whispered.</p><p>Steeling himself, Ianto drew in a deep breath. “Then let's do this now. Otherwise I'm not sure if I won't knock out the Doctor and steal that TARDIS of his to run away with you.”</p><p>A chocked giggle shook Jack's whole body as he imagined that while he violently suppressed the longing and the urge to say “Yes, let's do this!”.</p><p>Breathing out a shaky sigh, Jack found the strength to sit up. Reaching into the breast pocket of his shirt, he took out a small pill he held in the open palm of his hand.</p><p>“That’s it?” Ianto asked, eyeing the pill with contempt.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jack confirmed. “You’ll simply fall asleep, and when you wake up, your memories of today are gone.”</p><p>Ianto frowned. “And then? What about Yvonne? What about me? Wouldn’t you be alarmed when you can’t remember the last 24 hours of your life?”</p><p>Jack cringed at that since, yes, he knew exactly how that felt. “Don’t worry about that. The Doctor and I will deal with that.”</p><p>Unable to help himself, Ianto cocked a sceptical eyebrow. “Really? Maybe I should help. I’m good with cover stories.”</p><p>With his free hand, Jack reached out to cup Ianto’s cheek in his palm. “I know,” he smiled. “But it’s okay. I’m not completely hopeless with that stuff.”</p><p>“Hmm, well, okay. If you say so.” Ianto seemed still sceptical, and Jack wanted to kiss him for it. He didn’t. Instead, he reached over towards the nightstand to pick up the glass of water he’d placed there some time ago. He offered both to Ianto.</p><p>“After you’ve taken the pill, it will take some time for the sedative to work. The TARDIS will land in your living room again, and then, you can go to bed.”</p><p>“No.” Ianto shook his head, frowning down at the items he now held in his hands before he looked back up at Jack with a determined expression in his eyes. “I want to stay here, in this bed, while I fall asleep. And…” He swallowed heavily, but forced himself to march on. “And I’d love for you to stay with me. Please.”</p><p>Jack had to swallow down the lump constricting his throat at the small “Please”. He nodded mutely.</p><p>His shoulders slumping with relief, Ianto quickly took the pill before his determination left him.</p><p>The two men shuffled around until they were lying down together, facing each other with their bodies pressed close.</p><p>“I don’t want to lose you,” Ianto whispered, and caressed Jack’s face with fingers getting more heavy and sluggish with every second. “It’s stupid because I hardly know you, but I love you.”</p><p>Almost choking on his tears he now allowed to flow freely, Jack sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. “I love you, too,” he whimpered, his heart breaking that the first and only time he would ever say the words to Ianto would be forgotten again in a few hours.</p><p>Smiling beatifically although tears now streamed down his own face as well, Ianto leaned in for a last, lingering kiss; just a simple press of their lips together, but this kiss felt to both as if it was the most important kiss of their lives.</p><p>Jack watched Ianto’s eyes get heavy even though the young man tried to fight the fatigue, and finally, they fell shut completely.</p><p>Crying in earnest now, Jack pulled Ianto into his arms, placing his cheek onto the dark hair, and closed his eyes for a few more precious moments until he had to let him go.</p><p> </p><p>Jack didn’t know how much time had passed, but the clearing of a throat eventually brought him back in the here and now. He met the Doctor’s sad eyes as the Time Lord stood inside the door to Jack’s room.</p><p>Nodding shakily, Jack sat up, and left the bed. Carefully, he picked up Ianto’s motionless form, cradling him against his chest as he carried him out of the room, through the corridors, and finally out of the TARDIS. They were back in Ianto’s flat now.</p><p>Determined, Jack made his way through the room.</p><p> </p><p>Hesitantly, the Doctor came to a stop in the doorway to Ianto's bedroom. He almost didn't dare watch Jack gently place Ianto on his bed, and then sit down on the mattress beside the unconscious man. Reaching out with a trembling hand, Jack carded his fingers through Ianto's hair, then slid them down until he could cup the young man's cheek.</p><p>Alarmed, the Doctor watched a shudder run through Jack's body, recognising the tears even if he couldn't see his friend's face since he sat with his back turned to the door.</p><p>“I needed more time with him,” Jack whispered, his voice rough with tears. Reaching out his other hand as well, he cupped Ianto's face in both hands, bending closely over Ianto's face. He kissed his forehead, then his nose, and finally his motionless lips.</p><p>“I love you.” The words were scarcely audible, and were muffled when Jack let his head sink down onto Ianto's chest to rest there for a moment, probably listening to his heartbeat.</p><p>The Doctor had to swallow hard before he turned away in sorrow and in shame, giving Jack a few last precious moments with that young man that had had such an impact on the life of Captain Jack Harkness.</p><p> </p><p>Jack was a different person when the TARDIS doors closed behind the two time travellers, and the time machine dissolved into nothingness from Ianto's flat.</p><p>They didn’t speak for a while, the only noises inside the TARDIS the grinding and wheezing of the machines.</p><p>The silence that descended over the interior of the ship when it finally came to a stop again was oppressive. The Doctor couldn’t bear it.</p><p>“Jack…” He stopped again, not knowing what he should say.</p><p>“Do you want to come with me?” he finally asked. “Maybe spending some time together would do us both good. You could take your mind off… well, off <em>things</em> during a few adventures.”</p><p>Jack raised weary eyes towards the Time Lord who had to stop himself from flinching back at the deep sadness and despair in Jack’s expression.</p><p>“No,” the Captain finally said. “You may find my current life boring, but it’s what I need right now. Look at what happened when I go on any adventures with you again.”</p><p>The Doctor pressed his lips together tightly. “I’m sorry, Jack,” he murmured.</p><p>“Don’t be.” The immortal shook his head, a sad smile playing around his lips as he made his way to the TARDIS doors, his steps heavy as if he was an old man. “I already told Ianto; I have new memories now I’d never have made otherwise. That has to be enough.”</p><p>“But at what a price,” the Doctor wanted to say, but he clamped his mouth shut. “Okay then,” he said instead, and helplessly indicated the doors as he accompanied Jack the short way over to the exit. “I parked her in front of your house.”</p><p>“Yeah, thanks.”</p><p>“Goodbye, Jack,” the Doctor smiled at his friend, but the smile was forced, and he awkwardly patted the Captain's shoulder.</p><p>Jack returned the smile, though it was just a quick, weak twitch of his lips, and he wouldn't meet the Doctor's eyes anymore.</p><p>“See you, Doc,” he mumbled, and then turned around, leaving the TARDIS and returning to his current life. He trudged back into his house without a backward glance.</p><p>His hearts heavy, the Doctor stared at the peaceful house bathed in warm sunshine for some time.</p><p>Sighing softly, the Time Lord eventually returned into the TARDIS. He stood behind the closed doors for a moment, unmoving, his hand on the smooth, warm wood.</p><p>Suddenly, a jolt ran through him, and he spun around, dashing back to the console. He danced around the countless levers and buttons, his youthful face set with grim determination.</p><p> </p><p>Gasping softly, Ianto's eyes flew open. A shudder ran through his whole body as he felt an icy coldness in every pore that even reached deep into his soul.</p><p>Not knowing where he was, he panicked, gulping in deep breaths. Limbs flailing around as he tried to sit up frantically, a blessedly familiar scent suddenly invaded his flaring nostrils.</p><p>“Jack?!” he called out, his panic abating slightly even if he still didn't know where he was. Or where Jack was. He couldn't see him anywhere in the unfamiliar bedroom he was.</p><p>“Shh, shh,” a male voice suddenly soothed, and Ianto's head swivelled around. His wide eyes met that of a gangly young man with mad hair and a bowtie who looked at him with concern, but who also radiated a comforting calm.</p><p>“Who are you?” Ianto panted, his frantic gaze once more darting around the room. “And where's Jack?”</p><p>“One thing after the other,” the man said, and slowly perched on the edge of Ianto's mattress. “Jack's not here at the moment. And I'm the Doctor.”</p><p>That struck Ianto speechless for a moment. “But... You are...”</p><p>“I regenerated since you saw me last,” the Time Lord explained with a small smile and shrugged.</p><p>“Oh... I... yeah, you do that, don't you.”</p><p>Numbly, Ianto managed to sit up now, suddenly completely calm again.</p><p>That was, until he remembered what the last thing was that he remembered. He turned wide eyes to the Doctor again. “I died,” he whispered.</p><p>“Yeah,” the Doctor cringed. “That. What do you say to a nice cup of tea while I explain everything to you?”</p><p>Since Ianto didn't seem to have another choice, he gave a small nod, and let the Doctor help him get up. His limbs felt alarmingly sluggish, and he had to let the Time Lord support him as he took slow, tentative steps out of the bedroom.</p><p>No matter how intensely he scrutinised the Doctor from the corner of his eye, the man didn't want to explain anything to him, not why Ianto was suddenly so weak nor why he was, instead of his normal suit, wearing a set of plain blue pyjamas.</p><p>Only when the Doctor put a steaming cup of tea in front of him, and Ianto's patience finally ran out visibly, the Time Lord seemed willing to answer any questions Ianto had.</p><p>But he had many, and actually didn't know where to start.</p><p>“Okay... ehm... why am I still alive? And is that why I am so weak? Is it an aftereffect of the virus?”</p><p>The Doctor cringed, and Ianto hastened to shut up. He sounded like Gwen already, but he couldn't help himself. He thought he had <em>died</em> in Jack's arms after all...</p><p>“Good, listen...” The Doctor took in a deep breath, steeling himself, and trying to order his thoughts. “You did die in Thames House, but it wasn't you. It was a Ganger, a doppelganger made of living Flesh, and...”</p><p>“Stop!” Ianto cried. Startled, the Doctor actually fell silent.</p><p>His mind racing, Ianto cradled his tea cup so tightly between his hands that it was in danger of shattering. “A what doppelganger?!”</p><p>“It's called the Flesh. Future technology that can create an exact doppelganger of a person.”</p><p>“But... why?!”</p><p>The Doctor sighed again, brushing thin fingers through his ridiculous amounts of hair. “You see... we've met before. When you just started with Torchwood London.” He raised his gaze to look Ianto dead in the eye. “But we retconned you, Jack and I, to keep your timeline intact.”</p><p> </p><p>Ianto's head was reeling, and he was unable to move even one muscle for a few moments.</p><p>Then, after getting his wits about him again, the first thing he did was punch the Doctor for abducting Ianto without his consent (and on Jack’s behalf, really; he'd wanted to give the Doctor a piece of his mind for a long time now), after which he hugged the baffled alien immediately thereafter in heartfelt gratitude.</p><p>But still, his mind was in overdrive.</p><p>By now, he'd switched to something stronger than tea, and when that didn't help either, he pushed the Doctor away where he was leaning against the counter, and got to work on the stylish looking coffeemaker the Time Lord kept in his kitchen, but which looked seldom used.</p><p>After figuring out how the thing worked, the familiar task of making coffee soothed Ianto. His hands worked as if on autopilot which gave his mind the time to process everything the Doctor had told him.</p><p>It was so much. So incredible.</p><p>He mentally listed every single one of the disconcerting things he had learned, trying to give them order in his head.</p>
<ol>
<li>He had met Jack in 2005 already, just shortly after he'd become Yvonne's PA.</li>
<li>Together with the Doctor, they had solved a crisis.</li>
<li>Apparently, he had slept with Jack, unable even then to resist him (it had needed some coaxing on Ianto's part to get this information out of the Doctor since the Time Lord deemed that fact of their little adventure completely unimportant).</li>
<li>The person who had taken his virginity was actually Jack Harkness, not Rachel Allan.</li>
<li>Jack and the Doctor had to retcon Ianto to keep timelines intact. Therefore, he couldn't remember this whole encounter at all (which would have been nice, at least in regards to the sleeping-with-Jack-and-losing-his-virginity-to-him part)</li>
<li>Obviously touched by Jack's pain of losing Ianto again (the Doctor's words), the Doctor had gone back and abducted Ianto from his flat while he was still unconscious from the Retcon.</li>
<li>He had exchanged him for one of these Flesh doppelgangers.</li>
<li>The Ganger had lived Ianto's life for him while he himself had been kept here, in the TARDIS, unconscious for the whole time – For years! No wonder he was so weak –, but somehow connected to the Ganger through a mental link or whatever that enabled Ianto to remember everything that had happened as if he'd experienced it himself.</li>
<li>The Ganger had died in Ianto's stead, and when it did, when the connection was broken, that was when Ianto had awakened.</li>
<li>The Doctor had never told Jack because he didn't want to get the immortal's hopes up should something go wrong. Jack still believed Ianto dead, even after centuries.</li>
</ol><p>That was quite a list.</p><p>Ianto froze when one last point slammed home. It was just a small, insignificant point compared to him dying without <em>actually</em> dying, but for him, it maybe was one of the most important points of all. Not only had Jack taken his virginity (even if, sadly, he couldn't remember it) which made Jack the first and the last person he'd ever slept with. No. He was the <em>only</em> person Ianto, this body, his real body, had ever had sex with. Every time he had slept with Lisa, had slept with Jack, or even that ill-fated affair with Rachel Allan, it had been the doppelganger having sex. Yes, of course, Ianto remembered everything since the two had been connected telepathically, but... his own body had always ever known Jack's touch.</p><p>Silly as it maybe was compared to everything else, that fact made tears spring to his eyes which he couldn't control even if he'd wanted to.</p><p>Jack was the One for him in more ways than the metaphorical. He was physically, too.</p><p>He needed a moment to come to terms with that, the coffeemaker in front of him completely forgotten by now. His hands hovered uselessly over the sleek machine while he stared into space, digesting everything.</p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>The Doctor's hesitant voice jostled Ianto back into the here and now. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the Time Lord who scrutinised him carefully.</p><p>“Yes,” he said cautiously. “I think I am.”</p><p>“I understand that you need some time.” The Doctor smiled at him encouragingly. “Why don't you go and explore the TARDIS? Much to discover that will distract you. Don't worry, it's safe.”</p><p>Ianto frowned as he contemplated that offer. All he really wanted was to go back to his room, to <em>Jack's</em> room, as he had learned, and stare into space while being surrounded by Jack's comforting scent while he tried to deal with it all, but maybe the Doctor was right. Maybe he needed a distraction right now.</p><p>He nodded slowly, and then, determinedly, finished making the coffee.</p><p> </p><p>His first hesitant steps led Ianto down a corridor, then around a corner, and then another until he finally didn't know where he was any more, but the Doctor had assured him that he couldn't get lost, the TARDIS would always lead him back to where he wanted to be. So, taking heart, he let himself drift for a while, discovering rooms he hadn't imagined could exist even in his wildest dreams. No wonder Jack had loved living here.</p><p>Eventually coming upon the library and the pool, Ianto sat down onto one of the deck stairs, and simply stared into the softly glowing blue water of the pool. He contemplated picking out a book, there had to be a fantastic, mind-blowing choice accumulated in this room with its crammed shelves, but he wasn't really in the mood.</p><p>His thoughts strayed back to everything that had happened. To Jack. To Dying. To saying “I love you” without ever getting a real answer. Surprisingly, that hurt, but he didn't blame Jack even if he wanted to throttle him; it really wasn't a nice feeling when, as you lay dying, and just poured your heart out to your boyfriend said boyfriend answered with a simple “don't”. But... he recalled Jack's eyes, he recalled the shock and the terror he had read in them which he hadn't been able to really comprehend in Thames House. Now, he understood. Jack had probably thought he could save Ianto somehow so that he could say <em>it</em> back at a more appropriate time; out of his own free will, not because he felt obliged to appease his dying lover...</p><p>When the Doctor found Ianto, he jumped and stared with wide eyes at the Time Lord leaning in the doorway.</p><p>A thought suddenly came to him.</p><p>“What am I supposed to do now?” Shivering suddenly despite the humid warmth in the library, Ianto wrapped his arms around his middle (he was still wearing a pyjama; he should find some proper clothes soon). “I'm officially dead, and Jack's moved on. I don't belong anywhere.”</p><p>“Nah, nah,” the Doctor soothed, and approached him. Gingerly, the Time Lord perched on the deckchair next to Ianto. He started fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket awkwardly. “You belong with Jack. That's the whole point of saving you, isn't it.”</p><p>“I suppose. But...”</p><p>“No buts. It may have been a few hundred years since your death, but he hasn't moved on. Not after seeing you again on our last adventure. I can take you to him right now, and for him, we'd only arrive a few minutes or hours after I dropped him off. The pain of losing you again would still be fresh.”</p><p>“That's reassuring.” Ianto grimaced, and glared at the Time Lord.</p><p>“Sorry.” Sheepishly, the Doctor looked away. “But you know what I mean, right. I have a proposition though.”</p><p>“Yes?” Sceptically, Ianto cocked an eyebrow, and met the Time Lord's suddenly eager gaze.</p><p>“I'm without a companion at the moment. So, why don't you travel with me for a while? I can show you the wonders of the universe.”</p><p>“Thanks, but no. I'd rather Jack shows me the universe.”</p><p>The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, he's become boring, has settled down for now.”</p><p>“Then that's where I'll be as well.”</p><p>Groaning in exasperation, the Doctor slumped back onto the deckchair like a theatralic diva. “I thought you were interesting,” he moaned. “I like your sarcastic wit and quick thinking. We could have a lot of fun exploring the universe for a while.”</p><p>“I'm not getting any younger, Doctor,” Ianto reminded him. “Every minute I spend with you is a minute I could have spent with Jack instead. Maybe he lives a danger less life now that's safe for me as well, but I'll have to leave him again in a comparatively short amount of time nonetheless.”</p><p>“Good thing then Jack chose – quite by accident, actually – a very interesting planet.”</p><p>Questioningly, Ianto cocked his head, but the Doctor just smiled mysteriously at him. He wanted to smack him</p><p> </p><p>Ianto breathed in the warm, clear air as he exited the TARDIS. The smell of the forest they had materialised in assaulted his nostrils. It was quiet around them except for the natural noises of a forest. He felt a sudden peace descend over him; a feeling he had only felt during all the weeks he had been travelling with the Doctor (and he still didn’t quite know how the Time Lord had talked him into that) when he had lain in Jack's old bed on board the TARDIS, surrounded by his lover's slowly fading scent and the knowledge that they had made love for the first time in that bed.</p><p>What the Doctor had shown him had been incredible. Ianto had seen places he had never thought were even possible, had met people and creatures he'd never forget, but a small part inside of him wished that he could share these adventures with Jack instead of the Doctor.</p><p>When, as he laid his head down on the soft pillow of his bed one night, Jack's scent had finally faded completely, Ianto knew that it was time.</p><p>He had to give the Doctor credit that he'd simply looked at Ianto when he'd told the Time Lord that he wanted to see Jack now, and then had hurled the TARDIS back into the vortex without another word.</p><p>Now that they had finally arrived on the planet Jack had chosen to live on, now that Ianto felt the peace of that planet and saw its simple beauty, he knew it had been the right decision.</p><p>On the Doctor's prompt, Ianto followed him through the forest, a small rucksack with the meagre possessions he'd accumulated during the last few weeks slung over his shoulder.</p><p>Sudden nervousness flared up inside of him at the prospect of seeing Jack again. It had been so long ago since they'd seen each other last. At least in linear time. As for the rest... Ianto rather didn't want to think too closely about it. Time travel only caused him a headache.</p><p>To distract himself, he looked around curiously. The trees and bushes appeared completely normal; it could have very well been any other forest on Earth he was taking a stroll through if it weren't for the slight blue shimmer that lay over the leaves when the light caught them just right. Once or twice, he saw birds and insects that definitely weren't from Earth.</p><p>After a couple of minutes' walk, Ianto and the Doctor arrived at the edge of the forest. They came to a stop at the edge of a slope that led down into a beautiful little valley. Lush blue-green grass grew on the rich, dark soil with sheep-like creatures grazing on it, and in the distance Ianto could make out beings that looked like actual cows from Earth. A clear stream weaselled its way through the valley and a couple of fields surrounded a medium-sized house and some barns right in the heart of the valley.</p><p>This place seemed like Heaven, but at the same time unreal. Ianto simply couldn't imagine Jack Harkness living here and be content with this simple, uneventful life.</p><p>But on the other hand, it had been centuries since he'd seen Jack last. People changed, especially after such a long time, and maybe even Jack could reach a point in his long, long life where he needed some peace and quiet.</p><p>Squinting his eyes against the bright rays of the sun shining down on them now that they were out of the forest, Ianto frowned. Not far from the house, he could make out some movement other than the space-sheeps. A human was working on one of the fields.</p><p>His heart suddenly started pounding like mad in his chest.</p><p>“Is that...” he asked the Doctor without taking his eyes from the small figure in the distance, hoping to make out more details. </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Ianto heard the gentleness in the Doctor's voice, and finally looked at the Time Lord who was watching him closely.</p><p>“Go,” the Doctor said, and smiled. “Go, live your boring life with him.”</p><p>Ianto smirked at him. “With both of us back together, our life will hardly become boring, even here.”</p><p>The Doctor had to digest that for a moment, then blushed, and immediately rolled his eyes afterwards.</p><p>Laughing heartily at the flustered Time Lord, Ianto pulled the Doctor into a firm embrace, much to both of their surprise, and whispered a heart-felt “Thank you” into his ear before he began the careful descent down the grassy slope down to the field Jack was working on. The immortal hadn't noticed him yet, immersed as he was in his work – even if the Doctor had forewarned him, this was a sight Ianto had never expected to see, but one he probably would have to get used to from now on. Not that this would be a hardship. As he came closer, it became apparent that Jack's upper body was bare. His honey-coloured skin glistened with sweat in the bright, warm sunlight enticingly.</p><p>Ianto's throat suddenly became bone-dry at the sight, and he felt his legs hasten their pace automatically.</p><p>Having to pass the alien-sheep which curiously raised their heads as Ianto came closer distracted him for a moment as he regarded the animals closely, curious in return about the resemblances as well as the differences to Earth sheep.</p><p>Therefore, he flinched at the unexpected barking of a dog. Startled, Ianto looked up, and spied a dog, a real Australian shepherd dog, that had suddenly emerged from between the sheep, and now regarded Ianto suspiciously.</p><p>A sudden sharp whistle calmed the dog down though, and it settled on its hind legs, but still regarded Ianto with a watchful eye.</p><p>At the dog's barking, Jack had straightened up from his work, and raised his hand to shade his eyes from the sun, spying his unexpected visitor. Now, he advanced on the stranger in his valley, and although his gait was open and welcoming, Ianto saw the flexing in his right bicep as Jack gripped the hark he carried tighter in his fist.</p><p>A small smile wound itself onto Ianto's face.</p><p>“Hey,” Jack called cheerily, curiosity colouring his voice. “It isn't often that I get visitors here.”</p><p>“I can imagine,” Ianto chuckled.</p><p>Jack froze suddenly as he heard Ianto's voice. And by now, he was close enough that he could make out more of his visitor than a dark shade against the bright light of the sun.</p><p>Ianto saw all colour drain from Jack's face as he recognised Ianto. His eyes widened as he took him in, the blue orbs flitting hectically over Ianto's form, and then widened some more as Jack focussed on a spot right behind Ianto; Ianto supposed that the Doctor had followed him down here after all to maybe explain things if necessary.</p><p>“This is impossible,” Jack whispered, shock turning his voice raspy with emotions.</p><p>“It's really me, Jack,” Ianto assured, and took another step closer to Jack.</p><p>Helplessly, Jack sought the Doctor's gaze as his brow crinkled thoughtfully. Then, he locked gazes with Ianto again.</p><p>“B-but... How...”</p><p>Reassuringly, Ianto smiled, and still came closer until he was standing right in front of Jack; he almost thought he could feel the warmth of his work-heated body and smell his sweat clinging to smooth planes of skin over hard muscles, that was how close he was to his lover now. Hastily tearing his gaze away from Jack's naked upper body to force his eyes back up to the immortal's face, Ianto willed himself to get his priorities straight for the moment – even if it was pretty hard with that kind of distraction right in front of him. </p><p>“Later. We have time now.” Ianto threw a questioning look over his shoulder at the Doctor who simply nodded in confirmation. Then, he focussed on Jack again. “A lot of time if what the Doctor told me about this planet is correct.”</p><p>Tears welled up in Jack's eyes at hearing that, and he nodded in comprehension. A megawatt, joyful smile brightened up his face while still crying freely. “Yes,” he choked out, reached out, and promptly pulled Ianto into his arms who completed the embrace in relief. “Yes, we do.”</p><p>
  <strong>End</strong>
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